Retreat Blogs

DAY 2 | THURSDAY

Welcome to Day 2 at camp! Even before the sun came up, our cross country team was hitting the trail for a workout, and some of our basketball players were getting their shots up. Students started popping out of cabins as it got lighter out. As predicted, some of our underclassmen girls came out with Bibles in one hand and fishing poles in the other. They were ready to get back at it—catching fish—but it was an absolute joy to see them gather around a picnic table with their Bibles open to talk about what the Lord was showing them. It was evident that these young ladies do that on a regular basis.

Up and Ready!

Everyone started gathering outside the Commons a little before 8:00 to talk about how they slept, who snored in their room, and their plans for tonight if they were too cold last night... camp was waking up! We kicked off the morning with eggs, biscuits, sausage, and apples—and a lot of great conversation around the table. Several of our kids have commented on how nice it is not to have to rush from one thing to the next and just enjoy each other’s company. Same for the faculty and staff!

Quiet Times

After breakfast, students were dismissed into Quiet Times. The goal of that time is to quiet our hearts before the Lord, to pray, to read Scripture, and to ask the Lord to do some work in us. Today’s Quiet Time theme was “A Heart of Worship,” and our Scripture study reflected on 1 Chronicles 16:4 and the idea of remember, thank, and praise, which Blake introduced during worship last night. For further study, we read from Exodus and 1 Samuel about the Ark of the Covenant and its significance. Why does worship matter? Who do we worship? Who or what sits on the throne of our heart?

Quiet Times lasted around 30 minutes, and a lot of folks really seemed to be doing some business with the Lord. When’s the last time you stilled your heart and sat with Scripture before having to rush off somewhere else? Many of us have talked about how encouraging it was to be reminded of how to keep first things first in this area. What are the rhythms in your home and in your heart? This would be a great one to continue discussing at home.

Cabin Wars

To kick off our worship time and gather the crew, Mr. Gnann announced our next Cabin War with a hilarious partner activity that Mrs. Coach Jones and Jillian A. ran away with—they smoked everyone! Then Blake and the band led us in “You’re Worthy of It All,” and our time of singing directed us to remember and show thanksgiving for what God has done. We show thanksgiving in the glory we ascribe to God—in our posture, our singing, our words, and our hearts.

The Word
 

Then Daniel came and taught from Philippians 3:17–20 and Philippians 2:1–4, focusing on the difference between confidence and pride. Ultimately, he led us to the truth that if we want to stand firm in Christ, we have to reject pride. We talked about cancel culture in contrast with Philippians 2:3, which reminds us to “do nothing from selfish ambition.” If your ambition puts you at the center, then where is God? Daniel challenged us to make others matter more.

Pride is like termites—you usually don’t notice it until it’s way too late. He pointed us to several of the “one another’s” in Scripture to emphasize where the Lord desires us to draw our attention:

Love one another: John 13:34; John 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 John 3:11, 23

Serve one another: Galatians 5:13

Forgive one another: Colossians 3:13

Encourage one another: 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13

Bear with one another: Colossians 3:13

Confess your sins to one another: James 5:16

Welcome one another: Romans 15:7

Be devoted to one another / Honor one another: Romans 12:10

We closed out our morning session with two more songs, then headed into our small groups. The goal of small group time is to continue the conversation: What is the Lord showing you? What are you going to do about it? Our groups gathered across Woodlands Camp to talk about practical ways we can reject pride and make others matter more in the days ahead.

Thank you for praying with us as our students, faculty, and staff ask the Lord to help us take those steps to honor others above ourselves.

Lip Sync Battle + LUNCH

Lunch was a great treat—we had a Mexican fiesta that led perfectly into the traditional Lip Sync song-picking moment. Armed with their song selections and hilarious plans, students headed into cabin groups to practice for the retreat Lip Sync—always guaranteed laughter and excitement.

The Lip Sync this year was well done—the kids were hilarious, and there was actually some pretty good choreography. It ultimately came down to the senior guys, senior girls, and freshman girls as the top three finalists, and the senior girls took it home with “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer. (We’re not sure any of the kids had actually heard of MC Hammer... but the teachers did their best Hammer dances most of the afternoon!)

Special thanks to the Pastry Pals for hosting us, and we are all so glad that “Big Deborah” and “Nutty Buddy” found reconciliation and are now striving side by side for the sake of hilarity.

The Lip Sync led right into free time. Within minutes, the lakefront, coffee shop, trading post, field activities, and gym were packed with kids, faculty, and staff just hanging out and having fun. Very few phones in sight—just a bunch of people playing outside, lingering over conversations, and building community. What a gift!

Dinner 

Dinner this evening was grilled chicken, green beans, fries, and apple cobbler. Some of our older students helped out by being “big brothers” and “big sisters,” hosting tables as we strive side by side for the sake of the gospel. Our cheer squad helped wrap up dinner cleanup while the rest of the crew went to chapel for the evening.

Worship + The Word
 

Tonight’s session was simply designed for worship through singing, reading Scripture, and praying together. The purpose was to make space to respond to what the Lord is stirring and moving in our midst as we remember, thank, and praise. Tonight was all about praise.

Blake led us through Isaiah 6 and the imagery of that passage, as Isaiah responds to the understanding of the movement of the Lord and the response to His glory. What does confession look like? What does forgiveness truly entail? How do I respond? Psalm 95:6 says:

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

Tonight, we did just that. We knelt, we sang, we lifted our hands, we worshiped, we prayed, and we celebrated what God has done, is doing, and will do—in us individually and in and through our community at NCCS.

Daniel helped wrap up our time with a prayer of sending (Isaiah 6:8), commissioning us into this year to walk closer with the Lord and to strive side by side for the sake of the gospel.

That led into a sweet time of prayer and fellowship as we checked in with our small groups and shared about where the Lord is leading us. Where can we encourage and pray for one another? Major victories are taking place in our community. Many students spoke of finding peace and encouragement in connecting with Christ.

 

GAMES, TRIVIA + CAPTURE THE FLAG

After small groups, we launched into a variety of games on the field, a trivia battle in the worship center, and a rousing game of Capture the Faculty on the field. Good thing the faculty and staff have good health insurance—and that our nurses brought a lot of Advil! While we strive side by side for the sake of the gospel, we are also more than willing to take you down to earn points for our cabin!

It continues to be such a joy to see the friendships forming through the variety of activities we’ve enjoyed over the past two days. Community is truly being formed.

In a few minutes, we’ll gather all together as a group to wrap up the night and share some instructions for tomorrow. We're praying for some great cabin chats this evening and for the Lord to continue moving as we begin to turn our attention homeward.

Thank you for praying for us as we continue to see the Lord moving in a powerful way.

He is worthy,
Megan Strange
Upper School Principal