by John Carpenter | Apr 27, 2015 | Camp News, Ministry News
Prayer Requests
Please do not forget to be in earnest prayer for this summer’s total operation. Pray for the children — both the repeat campers that will be coming back, as well as the brand new ones. Also, be in prayer for the staff members that the Lord will send our way to participate in the direct interaction with the campers. They need our prayers for them to be spiritually prepared for what they will encounter. And, be in prayer for the overall peaceful smoothness of the whole Summer. Nothing makes ministry to operate efficiently — like prayer does! Our God hears and answers our prayers!
Also, please be in prayer with us concerning being able to meet the financial needs we have as we approach extra expenses during the camping season. After 63 years of ministry, the property and facilities are in constant need of attention. Chainsaws, weed eaters, lawn mowers, paint, rakes, screen/wood, etc. are always in need. Your financial donations continue to be a gift from the Lord which allows us to continue to offer free camping to all of our campers each summer and to be able to provide craft materials, chemicals to keep the pool clean, transportation to get the children here, printing/mailing camp applications and brochures, water and electricity, fishing gear, sports equipment, cleaning supplies, Bibles, teaching materials, healthy food, extra insurance coverage, medical supplies, and much more.
by John Carpenter | Apr 27, 2015 | Camp News, Ministry News
Spring Work Days Every Saturday
Well, dear friends, our 2015 Camp Del-Haven work days got off to a rousing start. We had 14 helpers show up from various places to tackle this year’s list of tasks. Our fellow warriors for the cause of Christ from Heritage Baptist Church were among the crew. We thank the Lord for their faithfulness to help and to support that which the Lord has called us to do for His glory and the furtherance of His eternal Kingdom. Please remember us in prayer in regards to the meeting of the many mundane jobs that of necessity must be accomplished in preparation for the ministry of the gospel in this camp operation. It is prayer that accomplishes what God wants done! Every Saturday up to June 6th is a work day, but anyone can come and help us on any day.
Isaac is raking leaves to help keep our playground safe and neat.
Mary is adding a much needed coat of paint to the camp chapel.
Nick and Jack are repairing the screen door on one of the cabins.
by John Carpenter | Apr 27, 2015 | Devotional
“My beloved spake, and said unto me: Rise up, my love, my fair one — and come away; (11) for, lo, the winter is past — the rain is over and gone — (12) the flowers appear on the earth — the time of the singing of birds is come…(13)…arise my love, my fair one, and come away.” [Song. 2:10-13]
This text is a wonderful reflection of our loving Savior graciously coming unto us and refreshing upon us His divine presence and power. It’s like a brand new morning — of a brand new season — that He is awakening us to realize. His personal coming brings both unto us, and it is grand! It is grand because He, it is, who is “full of grace and truth” [Jn.1:14]. We, who are His loved and chosen from everlasting, are awakened with His eternally gracious and faithful presence.
This, in turn, provides the means to make the moment even more special. When He says: “Rise up, my love — my fair one — and come away”– we cannot help but do it! Just like when He first called unto the disciples to follow Him. Some were busy mending their fishing nets, but when He called them, it says, immediately, they left their nets and followed Him. Whatever preoccupied their time — whether family, or personal work — it all instantly lost its appeal to their obeying the loving command of Christ to follow Him! [Mt.4:18-22]
Even so, from this text found in Solomon’s Song we cannot expect it to be any different. Irresistible grace is absolutely at work here — just like when our Savior issued various commands during His holy walk among mankind during His time of incarnation. The Bible says from 1Co.15:10 “But by the grace of God, I am what I am
— and His grace toward me was not in vain — but I labored more abundantly than they all — yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Praise the Savior!
The Word of God communicates the truth of the story of redemption so much through Old Testament types and shadows — and here in Solomon’s Song we have, as it were, our Lord coming to each of us individually — who make up being His Bride — and awakening us. Jesus said that He will raise us up at the last day [Jn.6:39-40,44]. Here, in this text, we have a glimpse of how He lovingly and gently does this. He comes to us and says, “Rise up, my love (Or lit. My companion) my fair one (Or, one whom I have made beautiful with my righteousness) and come away!” Just like the disciples were irresistibly summoned to come and follow Christ. even so, we, at that glorious moment will be summoned to come away with Him — right into heaven!
Truly, then we will adoringly and joyfully say: “O how marvelous, O how wonderful — and my song shall ever be! O how marvelous, O how wonderful, is my Savior’s love for me!” We shall be irresistibly summoned to rise up from the death of this dark, cursed world’s Winter time of night — to go away with our Savior into the light of the eternal life of Heaven’s eternal Spring day!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Mar 9, 2015 | Camp News, Ministry News
Del-Haven Banquet
Saturday, March 21st
11:15 AM to 2:00 PM
Pleasant Grove Bible Church
4916 Lee’s Summit Rd.
Kansas City, MO
Please plan to come and enjoy great food and fellowship. You can bring someone who doesn’t even know about Del-Haven if you like. You will hear testimonies of what the Lord has done through this ministry — and perhaps get a fresh hold on to the vision of what we diligently pray that He will do in the future. There is no charge for this event. All that is required is just your presence with an appetite for both physical and spiritual food. We need the encouragement of your company.
The ladies labor hard in preparing the fixings — the decorations for this event. You will have an opportunity to hear from several of our staff and board members concerning the camp operation and what are our needs.
The theme verse of scripture for this year’s banquet is 1Jn.3:18:
“My little children, let us not love in word —
Neither in tongue —
But in deed and in truth!”
So, let us demonstrate our mutual love for each other! We to you — in providing a relaxing, enjoyable, informative and soul inspiring banquet program — and you to us by just being present to receive it.
You will be glad you came — and so will we!
by John Carpenter | Mar 9, 2015 | Devotional
“One thing have I desired of the Lord — that will I seek after! That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life: to behold the beauty of the Lord — and to inquire in His temple.” [Ps.27:4]
This text is an incredibly explicit description of every truly regenerated and converted child of God. The first line of verse one of this great Psalm declares: “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?” When it says that the Lord is his “Light” — it points to His being the light of the truth concerning Himself unto him — personally. The Spirit of the Lord — Jesus tells us from Jn.16:13-14 — is the revealer of the truth concerning Christ unto us. He uses the Word of God as the main instrument in accomplishing this revelation. That’s why Ps.119:105 tells us that the Word becomes a lamp unto our feet — and a light unto the path of each and every one of His eternally loved and chosen ones. And, when it says that the Lord is his “Salvation”– it means that the Lord is becomes to him — his personal Savior. Obviously, if this be true — then there is no need to fear.
A large part of the Lord’s being the “Light and Salvation” of the true believing sinner is in the evidence that the regenerated sinner becomes a “seeker” after God as he passes through this world. This is a wonderful and remarkable transition. For the Word of God describes of every fallen and unregenerate sinner — that in their lost estate — without exception — “there is none that seeketh after God” [Ro.3:11]. The saved sinner has become something that he absolutely was not! He has become a seeker after God — and the things of God. God — through His incarnated eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ — has sought out from among the population of the masses of fallen and lost sinners — the sinner that He has eternally loved and chosen to be one of His eternally saved ones — and found him — and transformed him into being His loving, seeking dear child. It is a marvelous truth of God’s great grace! Hence, does verse four describe the desire of the sinner saved by grace. Ps.37:4 aptly states: “Delight thyself in the Lord — and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Ps.27:4 declares one such desire that the quickened seeking sinner seeks. And that is that he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life in this fallen world. The word so used for “desire” in this verse connotes “asking”. So this becomes the substance of his continual cries unto the Lord.
The verse eight divulges the reality of the source of the searching of the true believing sinners heart and life throughout the days of his life in this world. The Word says: “When thou saidst, ‘Seek my face!’ My heart said unto thee, ‘Thy face, Lord, will I seek’.” Praise His gracious Name! And, we are assured of receiving this that we desire from God — for the scripture goes on to bear testimony from verses 13-14: “I had fainted — unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord! Be of good courage, and He will strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
