How Long has it Been? Have you had a soul-searching conversation with God lately? Have you probed your heart recently with hard questions? Are you following hard after God or have you allowed yourself to follow Him from a distance? The disciple, Peter, is described on the night of Jesus’ arrest as ‘following from afar.’ The next thing we hear about Peter is he has gotten cold and is warming himself by a fire built by the enemies of Jesus. What about you? Where are you? If you couldn’t join us at Word of Life for a campfire this summer, go outside, invite your family and friends, and build a fire beneath the night sky. Enjoy the beauty of creation, lift your voices in praise, read the Word of God and begin to ask yourself and those with you some of those hard questions. Who knows, you may discover the song the pines are humming that night is I have decided to follow Jesus . Do you have a campfire story? Share your story on the Word of Life Facebook Alumni page or write and tell us how God used a campfire service in your life. It only takes a spark to get a fire going , and soon all those around will warm up in its glowing, that’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it, you’ll spread His love to everyone, you want to pass it on. ” – Kurt Kaiser “
by remaining in their seat. However, I find it interesting, even in those cases, the memory of walking forward and throwing a stick in the fire is still etched in their mind many years later. It may be less about being ‘forced’ by the preacher to make a decision but more the ‘force’ of hearing the Spirit of God and then resisting His invitation. A lot of things have changed over Word of Life’s years of camping...the songs, the activities, the speakers, the buildings, the staff. But, one thing has remained the same - the Gospel. Each week the campfires are lit; campers gather around, the Gospel message is preached, and the Spirit of God brings life to the hearts of those who are ready.
testimonies
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FIRST YEAR AT THE BI IN ‘99 AND HARRY BOLLBACK WAS SPEAKING AT A CAMPFIRE SERVICE UP FROM COUNCIL HALL. I COMMITTED MY LIFE TO FULL-TIME YOUTH MINISTRY WITH A STICK IN THE FIRE. GOD TURNED MY LIFE AROUND AT WORD OF LIFE. I’VE BEEN IN YOUTH MINISTRY FOR 15 YEARS AND WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING! ” – Sean Sallis
I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO THE LORD ON WORD OF LIFE ISLAND IN JUNE 2007 AND THEN REDEDICATED MY LIFE TO THE LORD ON THE ISLAND IN JUNE 2015. THE LORD HAS DONE AMAZING THINGS IN MY LIFE SINCE THEN. ” – Kristy Miller I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO THE LORD AT THE RANCH IN 2000, AS A 12 YEAR OLD. THE CAMPFIRE WAS RAINED OUT, SO WE WERE IN COUNCIL HALL. WE GATHERED AROUND A STAGE PROP FIRE...GLOWING ORANGE LIGHTBULB WITH A FAN BLOWING FLAME-COLORED STREAMERS. ” – Mary Miller
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06 The experience summer 2017 edition
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