11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

This week begins three weeks of my life spent at Lakeview Church Camp. For the past 12 or so years I have spent atleast one week and often 5 or 6 leading worship for youth and adults at Summer Camp. Over those years of camp I have learned many lessons. I thought I would take time and share some of them with you while I am here.

Things have started off well. I mean as well as can be expected. I think the number one thing to remember when doing any event like this is to be flexible. Something will not go right and chances are the schedule you made out 3 weeks ago will be thrown out the window.

But you know I think that is a reminder to us. In the 12 years, and probably 20 plus camps I have done no week was ruined because everything didn’t work out as planned. In fact often things don’t go as we plan because they are going as God planned. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in how it should be that we can miss how it is.

So lesson one from church camp this year. Let go and Let God. Be flexible. Trust Him.

Now off to bed..

Over the past several months I have been blessed to be able to work with my new friend Kerri Crocker. Kerri came on this year as a worship leader for our contemporary worship service at Williams. She lives with her husband and family in East Texas but she leads worship and shares her music all over. She has just released her second CD entitled “Reason to Be” which was produced by Kyle Lee and recorded at Clean Productions. Kerri is passionate about a new foundation she has started called pray for a cure for cancer.

Kerri is joining me at Fork In the Road Music and will be writing some devotionals and some thoughts on leading worship, leading worship without a band and more on her efforts with Prayforacureforcancer.

I encourage you to check out her music and her ministry.

Several years ago I was reading in the bible and I came across this verse in 2 Kings 2:23-25. The verse talks about Elisha going up on a mountain, boys making fun of bald people, a curse, and bears eating kids. No seriously.. check it out. So I was wondering what does this verse have to do with anything? Why would you include something like this in the bible?

Later I was reading in the new testament Ephesians 4:29. “Let no unwholesome talk come from your mouths, only that which is for the building up of others.” When I read that verse I immediately remembered the verse in 2 Kings about bears eating kids. As I sat and put 2 and 2 together I drew the simple conclusion that the kids made fun of Elisha, and bears ate the kids.

I know this is way oversimplified and I am not sure that if we make fun of people then bears will come eat us but it is food for thought. How different would our worlds be if we took the verse in Ephesians to heart and did not let any words escape our mouths except those that built each other up? If you are a youth director or a parent, how different would our schools be? For you pastors and worship leaders how different would your churches be? How different would our families be?

I know the damage and pain that can be dealt when we gossip, lie, or just say things that don’t need to be said. I have done it, I have received it. I know what happens when people are talked about, when half truths are passed on, and when emails are forwarded. James 3:5 tells us “that a great forest is set ablaze by a small fire, and the tongue is a fire!” Let me tell you that fire burns. It burns down friendships, it burns down relationships it can burn down a family, or a group, or a church.

It was in keeping those two verses and these thoughts in mind that I wrote the song “Don’t Feed the Bears” It is a humorous take on a serious problem. When I have done it in camps I have heard youth later tell each other, when they heard someone say something they shouldn’t, “Don’t Feed the Bears” I thought I would share this song with you, maybe it will help you, and me think about what we say.

I have a live version posted it on my music facebook page.

Several years ago I was reading in the bible and I came across this verse in 2 Kings 2:23-25. The verse talks about Elisha going up on a mountain, boys making fun of bald people, a curse, and bears eating kids. No seriously.. check it out. So I was wondering what does this verse have to do with anything? Why would you include something like this in the bible?

Later I was reading in the new testament Ephesians 4:29. “Let no unwholesome talk come from your mouths, only that which is for the building up of others.” When I read that verse I immediately remembered the verse in 2 Kings about bears eating kids. As I sat and put 2 and 2 together I drew the simple conclusion that the kids made fun of Elisha, and bears ate the kids.

I know this is way oversimplified and I am not sure that if we make fun of people then bears will come eat us but it is food for thought. How different would our worlds be if we took the verse in Ephesians to heart and did not let any words escape our mouths except those that built each other up? If you are a youth director or a parent, how different would our schools be? For you pastors and worship leaders how different would your churches be? How different would our families be?

I know the damage and pain that can be dealt when we gossip, lie, or just say things that don’t need to be said. I have done it, I have received it. I know what happens when people are talked about, when half truths are passed on, and when emails are forwarded. James 3:5 tells us “that a great forest is set ablaze by a small fire, and the tongue is a fire!” Let me tell you that fire burns. It burns down friendships, it burns down relationships it can burn down a family, or a group, or a church.

It was in keeping those two verses and these thoughts in mind that I wrote the song “Don’t Feed the Bears” It is a humorous take on a serious problem. When I have done it in camps I have heard youth later tell each other, when they heard someone say something they shouldn’t, “Don’t Feed the Bears” I thought I would share this song with you, maybe it will help you, and me think about what we say.

I have a live version posted it on my music facebook page.