You Are Now Free to Move About the Cabin

The freedom to fly, drive, wake up when you like or just get out of your seat and move. We take a lot for granted and expect a great deal when it comes to freedom. What about the freedom God offers us through Christ? Do we take this for granted, too? Take a good look at God's kind of freedom in this issue of The Well. Read up on why you should spend your free time at SpringHill this summer and check out cool website reviews and more. (And, since it's May, don't forget to thank that special woman in your life - the one who gave you your very first taste of freedom - your mother!)

News @ SpringHill Camp 44°

Time is running out! Summer at SpringHill begins next month. Sign up before it's too late . . . register today!

Bring your whole family to SpringHill for an awesome weekend of Family Camp. Break in the season (or finish out the summer) by flying down the zipline with your mom or ducking for cover in the paintball field with your dad or sending your little sister soaring off the blob. Have out-of-this-world fun and experience God in a real way with your whole family. It all happens here May 26-29 and September 1-4! Check out all the details on our website. (Then, say to your parents, "Let's go to SpringHill!")

Get SpringHill fall retreats on your youth group's calendar! At Camp 44° we'll be meeting at the Hill for the High School Kick It! retreat October 6-8. Live bands, out-of-this-world activities, time to grow with God and as a group - it's an awesome way to end a great summer.

TST Staff Counts Down to Summer - An Interview with Jay Codima

The Well: When you think about summer 2006, what makes you most excited?
Jay: I get most excited about the opportunity to be with so many amazing people for the whole summer. Good things are bound to happen when you are in that environment.
The Well: What is the number one thing you can't wait to do this summer?
Jay: Lots of things! Boat driving - throwing campers from their tube rides. Campfires and sharing times.  And, I love making new friends that I keep in touch with after camp.
The Well: What would be the best thing that could happen this summer?
Jay: I would love to see kids' lives changed; I would love to see a kid pull a 360-backflip on the wakeboard; and I would love to play banana ball EVERY DAY!
The Well: Why is SpringHill the best camp out there?
Jay: Aside from the fact that it has a TST program? It's because SpringHill is about finding God in the fun things. Too many times Christianity gets boring and dry, but SpringHill shows how to have fun and be a Christian at the same time.  That's how it should be!
The Well: What's the biggest thing a student who doesn't participate in TST will be missing?
Jay: Aside from the awesome lake days, God-packed devotionals, amazing activities, a place for the best-chance-to-meet-your-best-friends-for-life, and other countless things, I'd say the biggest thing you'd be missing out on would be a chance to find out who you really are and who you can become!
The Well: What will be your title/role at camp this summer? How will kids know you?
Jay: I will be an Area Director, and the campers can refer to me as, "Mr. Area Director, Sir." I'm from Nebraska, so you might hear my name thrown around as Raska. I'll be the crazy blonde guy.

Free from Sin, Alive in Christ

"Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 4:31-5:1

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." -Galatians 5:13

There are many kinds of freedom. As Americans, we enjoy many freedoms provided by democracy. The Bible talks of freedom as well. Christ's sacrifice on the cross is probably the most significant expression of freedom that we have as Christians - Christ died so that we might be free from sin when we believe in him.

Yet, how often we return to our former master - sin. We forget God's grace and its costly price and become self-indulgent and self-centered in our lifestyles. We sin deliberately and comfort ourselves with the idea that grace makes everything okay. In this, we are slaves to sin.

Paul says this should not be! He continuously writes about the importance of being slaves to righteousness: allowing Christ to be our master instead of sin, allowing love to guide our choices and actions. Freedom is God's gift to us: free from sin, alive in Christ.

Think about this: What assumptions do you make about God's grace? Does God's grace allow us to continue on in sin and remain slaves to it? Do you live as though you understand what true freedom means?

Websites Well Worth It

www.passageway.org: The teen website of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, passageway.org provides written, audio and video resources on spiritual issues, pop culture and finding Jesus. It's worth the visit for the interface and artwork alone. Check it out.

www.economist.com: An excellent choice for the news-savvy surfer. The Economist is known for its non-American-centric slant on the news, which is a breath of fresh air every now and then. An excellent site especially for world news. Stay current.

www.coloring.com: Reverting back to childhood isn't always a bad thing, especially when it involves coloring. Express your creativity, while away the last days of school, give your mom something to hang on the fridge again. Digitally color a huge assortment of pictures online, including several specifically for Mother's Day.

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free.
-Goethe

Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.
-Jean-Paul Sartre

Free iPod Winner!

Megan from Fenton, Michigan, won SpringHill's enewsletter drawing for a free iPod. Megan is in 7th grade and will be spending her first week at SpringHill this summer. Congratulations, Megan!!

In the Real World

Movies. We all go to see them. But have we really considered what it is we're watching? Whether crass humor or senseless violence, does it affect us? Does it matter what we watch as long as we live decent lives, follow Christ and love people? What do you think? The following are a few opinions about this dilemma. Read them and then email us with your opinion. We want to know what you think about how we should approach these kinds of movies as believers.

We need to be careful about what we watch.

If the Bible was made into a movie, would Christians boycott it?

How to discern what's worth watching.

What You Said

More than 60% of you attended one church service over Easter weekend; 13% attended no service.

30% of you are most looking forward to no school this summer, while 55% are anticipating your week at SpringHill!

The best description of freedom for nearly 70% of you is life in Christ; the rest are split between U.S. citizenship, driving and no rules.

Only 50% of you think Christians have more freedom than non-Christians.

As for the importance of church to your faith, 29% say it's crucial, 42% say very important, 29% say somewhat important and 13% say not very important at all.