by John Carpenter | Dec 12, 2016 | Ministry News
Here is another entry from our 2016 Del-Haven Journal:
“Well this whole week has not gone as I planned. Coming out to camp was not even on my radar till Jeff got a hold of me. He expressed the need for another man to help out. I had planned to be at home resting from my long trip, but God had other plans.
As of today camp has gone so well. No fights or rough situations. Most boys even say, ‘Yes mamm’, and ‘Yes sir’ when being asked to do something. Jeff could not get through his whole Bible study that he had prepared for the second time because they had so many questions. Jeff and I were talking about it on the way to dinner, then we thought about today’s memory verse: “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” [Pr.16:9]
It’s just been great seeing the hand of God active and using us to speak into these boys lives. I look forward to the next two days and seeing what our Lord will do.” John Norris
John was a surprised addition to our staff help this last summer. We were so thankful that the Lord provided him the time and the inclination to fill such a vital need in our staff and camp schedule. We do serve a truly great Savior!
by John Carpenter | Dec 12, 2016 | Ministry News
Well, dear friends, we have come down to the end of another year. 2016 has been endured and survived by the grace and goodness of our sovereign God. It is by His enabling power that we trust in Him, and Him alone. The grace of genuine faith manifests itself in all our prayerful petitions for all His strength, supplies and sustenance that continually gets us through each day. That being the truth, we wish to thank and praise Him for all of you that have faithfully and prayerfully journeyed with us for however long you that you have. We love you, and we do not neglect to lift you up in our prayerful pleas for our God to abundantly bless you.
You all have a wonderful and a very Merry Christmas!
As we undergo the transition into 2017 – Please remember all the campers and staff that have played a vital role in 2016. Those that have just been introduced to Camp Del-Haven as well as all those that become out steady regulars year after year. Pray with us that the Lord will bless them and keep them and cause His face to shine upon them – and give them peace. And, especially where our staff help is concerned, pray that if it is the Lord’s will, that He will bring them back to help us in 2017.
Praise the Lord, He has provided the full amount for us to be able to be able to replace the motor for our gate. We thank and praise Him for hearing and answering our prayers.
by John Carpenter | Dec 12, 2016 | Devotional
“For unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end — upon the throne of David, and upon His Kingdom – to order it , and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” [Is.9:6-7]
This prophetic utterance was granted to Isaiah by the Holy Spirit around 741 years before the actual birth of the incarnated eternal Son of God into the historical timeline of fallen humanity. It truly is an amazing and an inspiring thing to contemplate the actual context of what this portion of God’s Word tells us, especially considering when it was written. It is obvious that Is.9:6-7 points to a substantiation of what God, Himself, announced in the hearing of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when He also foretold unto that wicked serpent, the Devil: “…and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed – He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.” [Ge.3:15] It is the promised seed of the woman that is to be the fulfillment of God’s Word of eternal victory and deliverance over sin — to which Is.9:6 refers.
The apostle Paul refers to this same eternally victorious seed when he is led of the Holy Spirit to speak of God’s promise unto Abraham in Gal.3:16: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, ‘And to seeds’, as unto many, but as unto One, ‘And to thy seed’ – which is Christ!” Once again, it is unto God’s sure and certain fulfillment of His holy Word to which this refers. The connection between Ga.3:16 with Gen.3:15, is obvious, the seed being referred to is ultimately the God/man, Christ. He is the promised seed even where Abraham was concerned when in his lifetime there occurred the miraculous birth of Isaac through his aged wife, Sarah. Hence, it is also written: “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” [Ga.3:9,29] From here we come to Gal.4:4 and the wonderful declaration of God’s sovereignty: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son – made of a woman – made under the law…” Praise the Lord! This is what we sinners-saved-by-God’s-grace really celebrate! “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written: Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” And then it also states: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law – being made a curse for us…” [Ga.3:10,12] Praise and glory unto the fufillment of the eternal purpose of the birth of our blessed Savior!
It is no wonder that John the apostle starts his gospel account by declaring: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (2) The same was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made!”[Jn1:1-3] Then from vs.14 we are told: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father – full of grace and truth.”
Beloved, the “Living Word of God” was the seed that our heavenly Father promised would come and prove that sin and death and that old serpent, the Devil, has been defeated through Him — who is, has been, and always will be – our eternal sovereign Savior/substitute! We have been chosen and placed and blessed with all spiritual blessings in Him – from eternity – in eternity – and for eternity! Hallelujah and Amen!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
-John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Nov 18, 2016 | Ministry News
Now for another tidbit from our 2016 Camp Journal. Here are two entries from our own Sheri D. that was entered at approximately the end of June:
“I received an encouraging email from one of the parents who sent her daughter to camp for the first little kids camp. She thanked us, but also expressed how happy it made her to be able to hear her daughter sing her camp songs…‘songs of faith’ as she referred to them. She said she sang them all over the house: in the shower — in her room, etc. It’s a wonderful thought to know that the adults in this house are hearing what this little girl went home with in her heart.” Sheri
“One morning during the girls camp we were sitting around the tables for our morning staff meeting, and as we got ready to start our prayer time, I looked around and suddenly realized that many of our girl staff members were former campers. These campers I used to pray for each morning and I am now praying with them. To God be the glory for the great things He has done!” Sheri
by John Carpenter | Nov 18, 2016 | Ministry News
Praises, Prayer Requests, and Projects
Well, dear ones, by the time you receive this month’s news and prayer letter we will have had an election in our country for the leadership of our nation. May our Lord be pleased to deliver us from a corrupt and oppressive environment. Whatever will have happened in this regard — we need to be in continual, earnest prayer! And, especially, in this particular regard, please continue to remember Camp Del-Haven in all your praying. Be assured that we will be praying for you as you pray for us.
Pray for our children that, for the most part, are completely oblivious to the importance what this election means where they are concerned. The “god of this world” is busy blinding unbelieving and unwary eyes from beholding the light of the gospel of the glory, only, of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that the power of God will protect and preserve all these youngsters from being overwhelmed by the ways of this fallen world and the Evil One and his seed. Pray for us as the battle intensifies.
Remember, if you will, the projects that we are saving for to be able to accomplish. Like the renovation of our restroom and shower house for the campers; and, also, the remodeling of our kitchen. We have yet another prayer request where our gate into the camp is concerned. When we installed the gate a few years back be put in place a solar powered gate that conveniently opens and closes via an opener. Well, the motor for the gate went bad and we are faced with an inflated cost as to replace it. It will take right at $500. We have received $250 from our dear friends at Pleasant Grove Bible church designated to go toward the total cost (Praise the Lord). Please pray with us that our Lord will send in the necessary remaining balance so that we can install a new motor for our gate. Thank you.
