John's Blog (Executive Director of Forest Glen Camps)

2012-02-13T15:26:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Looks like we’ll be blessed with a little more rain! I am grateful for the continued moisture. We have need of about 4 more feet before the lake is filled. Isn’t it nice to see green grass?

A special reminder for men…Tomorrow is Valentines Day! You know what to do…just do it!

During the next 14 days a couple of Houston area churches that support Forest Glen are conducting their annual missions conference. Kathy and I will be representing the ministry there, so we will be gone for much of that time. We are blessed with a host of people who pray, give, and serve with us. I take great comfort in that fact.

Numbers are in for January: Looks like we were blessed to serve 1549 camper/days in retreat ministries and 1868 c/d’s in combined outdoor education for a total of 3417 camper/days. That is 21% more than last January. Praise God for His work in the lives of the 1517 campers we served last month.

Please keep Ken Nolan in your prayers. He is due for another round of chemo tomorrow, but is hoping doctors will give him some more time to gain strength before he is hit again. Pray that he will be able to eat, gain strength and enjoy some more good days.

I’m writing this while Kathy is driving us to Houston, and it seems I have left/lost the camper comments from last week. (I hate it when that happens!) I’ll bring you up to date on camper responses next week. Sorry!

We are expecting to begin our annual audit a week from today. Accountants from Gomez & Co. will be checking our books and procedures to verify our end of year financial statements. Please make them feel at home.

Next week is our Texas section CCCA conference. It is a great place for training and rubbing shoulders with other camp professionals. Would be great if you could benefit from this conference. I know we have to keep the lights on here, so check with your supervisor to see if you can attend.

C.H. Spurgeon penned these words: “The knowledge of God is the great hope of sinners. Oh, if you knew Him better, you would fly to Him! If you understood how gracious He is, you would seek Him. If you could have any idea of His holiness, you would loathe your self-righteousness. If you knew anything of His power, you would not venture to contend with Him. If you knew anything of His grace you would not hesitate to yield yourself to Him.” AMEN!

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2012-02-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

It is so nice to see some water running into the lake. We received just over an inch and a half of rain last week. I was beginning to forget what mud looks like, but now I remember all too well!

SOWER’s have arrived and begin work today. Please take a moment to introduce yourself and get to know these wonderful servants who are serving with us for the next few weeks.

We received from campers comments that were in the categories of positive, best memory, and the Lord’s impact. The following are comments for each category from Jan. 27-29: Positive…”Gorgeous here(x2)” “This was an awesome learning experience” “I had so much fun and I love the beautiful environment.” “This was my first retreat and I was VERY impressed.” “Food was great and so was the staff.” “Your camp is so legit” “Really cool! Clean!” “Great! I couldn’t have asked for more.” Best Memory: “Rebaptism” “the people (x3)” “Friends I made (x3)” “Getting closer to God” “Campfire with friends around (x2)” “Looking at stars” “Nature (x2)” “My confession” “receiving letters from family” “Being with God” “Growing with God” “Watching our group open up.” “Seclusion from busy life.” “Prayer” “Cookies served during dinner” “the walks” “Canoeing (x3)” The Lord’s impact: “It made me want to be a better person” “I found peace” “He made me realize how much He was always there for me.” “It was an emotional breakthrough.” “Felt closer to God (x6)” “He helped me find Him” “Helped me let go of things that didn’t really matter” “He made me realize the gifts that He gave me.” “Helped our group understand their faith more.” “He called me closer” “Allowed me to examine myself” “I was opened up by others” “Faith grew stronger (x3)” “I came out as a changed person”… There were many, many other comments…Thank you for your prayers and hard work. God is working in lives!

You may wonder if we receive constructive feedback… we do and we take it to heart. From the 100+ surveys we received, there were only 7 constructive comments given. One camper wanted “two biscuits instead of one”, another “didn’t sleep good because it was cold” three felt we could do a better job with the hamburgers, one wondered why campers had to clean their tables, and the other suggested we put doors on the bathrooms in the Luke lodge (instead of shower curtains). O.K…we have some work to do!

We have a Board meeting this evening to take care of business unfinished from our meeting last month.

How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Just one… but the light bulb has to want to change. =) Sometimes I don’t want to change. I need the grace of God. Jesus teaches us that the greatest in the Kingdom are those who serve…(not necessarily the preachers and evangelists!). It is easy to serve when everyone recognizes your service, but service begins in the home…that’s where it’s the hardest. I find it difficult to mow the yard, do the dishes, clean the bathtub, care for the dog, the list goes on. I must change. Lord, help me be a servant to the people in my home…even if they don’t notice.

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2012-01-30T14:57:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Thanks for your prayers for Ken Nolan. He received a good report from his doctor last Tuesday regarding his cancer, but he has been unable to keep much food down and has been losing weight. Doctors think an adjustment in medication will fix that…so he’s back to the doctor today and hopes to come out to camp tomorrow!

This week we are greeting several SOWER volunteer couples…7 to be exact. They will be working to complete the upstairs of the Northshore staff lodge and do some painting and upgrades at Lakeside in the meeting rooms and Dining Hall. Let’s give them a warm F.G. welcome and make them feel at home and a part of God’s work here.

The Lord also worked in lives last weekend: “He showed me that I have a lot of people to ask forgiveness from and forgive others.” “He showed me what habits I need to change.” “He put these people into my life to help me.” “Our lives are forever changed” “I’ve been struggling with some things and he refocused me this weekend. I really needed it.” “I learned that I should change the way I live.” “He helped me to get closer to people instead of always being alone.” “Our lives are forever changed”.

Please keep praying for our campers, that the Lord will meet each one at their point of need.

A woman once approached evangelist D.L. Moody and shared, “I have found a promise that helps me when I am afraid. It is Psalm 56:3. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.’” Mr. Moody replied, “I have a better promise than that! Isaiah 12:2, ‘I will trust and not be afraid’.” If we would only live in the knowledge and awareness of God’s presence with us…at our very elbow. What is to fear?

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2012-01-24T16:51:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Batten down the hatches it looks like we are in for a few days of rain beginning tomorrow. Praise God! It looks like the lake has only come up about 6 inches since its lowest point in the fall. Bring on the rain!

Camp is a great place to make memories. Campers from last weekend took these memories home with them: “the food (x2)” “the people I met and the bonds I formed” “the worship service (x2)” “when God touched my heart.” “canoeing (x7)” “time with the group” the beauty of the landscape” and many, many more.

The Lord also worked in lives… “He revealed more of Himself to me” “He impacted me in ways that changed me forever.” “He spoke to me and changed my life” “He opened my eyes to see who I really am.” “I learned more about Jesus.”

Thanks for your prayers for Ken Nolan. He has been having some rough nights lately and has been losing weight. He goes in for another round of chemo tomorrow if the doctor thinks he’s up to it. Please pray for more good days.

Please keep praying for our campers, that the Lord will meet each one at their point of need.

Went fishing in the lake with my son in law and grandson who are visiting from Peoria. We caught 8 or nine bass (one 4 pounds!) a couple of 6-7 pound catfish and several bluegill. First time to go fishing this year…now I’m ready to go again. Isn’t there a proverb about fishing?.. “Give a man a fish and he’ll still be hungry, but teach a man to fish and he’ll never do another thing around the house.” That’s not how it goes?

I never heard a Bible story about Manasseh as a child in Sunday school. I am sure he was mentioned as one of the “bad kings” of Judah. His evil record can be found in II Kings 21. He reigned for 55 years and did more evil than the Canaanite nations around him and “shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another” (vs.16). He died and was buried in his garden. The rest of the story is found in II Chronicles 33. For all of his wickedness, he was carried away in captivity to Babylon and thrown into a dungeon where he “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto Him.” The Lord “heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.” Then Manasseh showed that his repentance was real by cleansing Jerusalem of idols and commanding the people to worship the Lord. This lesson is a look into the grace and mercy of God. When God forgives, he forgets our sins and no longer condemns us. The moral of the story…don’t let past sin and failure keep you from serving God faithfully today. Don’t let Satan shackle you with guilt and regrets to render you useless in your Christian life. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2012-01-16T13:42:00.000-06:00

Greetings!

Thanks for your prayers and hard work over the past week. We had a good Board Meeting last Monday night but were forced to adjourn after two hours…didn’t make it through all the business. We’ll be meeting again in the next few weeks to approve our 2012 Budget and discuss some issues regarding plans for the next few years.

Here are samplings from comments received over the past couple of weeks: “Can’t wait for summer!..Love it here!” “Ross is a Boss!” FG is incredible, but not only because I felt the Holy Spirit, but the staff made it incredible too.” “The staff was really helpful and friendly. The trails were very scenic.” “Ultra raw, the realest, swag” “The people are very nice and the food is good! The canoeing is fun.” “Thank you for being servants to the Lord.” “Best retreat location I’ve ever been to. Very friendly/hospitable staff.” “Very clean, nice people, and good food.” “Thank you to the dude who fixed the toilet!” “Had fun – This place changed my life!!”

The Lord also worked in lives… “He showed me about my life” “Put me on fire for Christ” “He impacted my relationship with Him and my mindset with Him.” “a word of His true love and calling.” “I choose life and choose to serve Him” “The Lord showed me how to pursue Jesus.” “Clarified a lot of questions.” “Met me where I was and revealed more of Himself to me.” “I feel my heart is really touched by God and I can feel that I grew spiritually here.” “Helped me realize who I am as a Christian man.” “Felt the presence of His surrounding nature.” “They brought us together as a family” “Made new friends and got closer to God.”

Thanks for your prayers for Ken Nolan. He is doing some better and actually made it out to camp twice this last week. Please keep praying for more good days.

I love the way the newly painted bathrooms look…What a difference! Heartfelt thanks to everybody who had a part in that project.

Please pray for more rain. We were not blessed to receive the 5-6 inches received by areas around us.

In honor of MLK Day … we should all give thanks and admire the life and accomplishments of this man who did so much to work for love, justice, and equality in the name of God. American society was broken and he gave his life’s blood to put it on a path to healing. I was never blessed to hear him speak in person, but I have read and listened to some of his more famous speeches. My favorite quote… “It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.”

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2012-01-10T14:13:00.000-06:00

Greetings!

Praise God for the rain! Bring it on!...Fill the lakes and replenish the aquifers.

Wasn’t it a beautiful weekend for our campers? The rain held off just long enough for people to enjoy the beautiful setting He has provided for us. I watched a dad and two daughters fish for a while…they were having a wonderful time together making memories. They actually put a couple of nice catfish into their ice chest and released several bass.

Between all three of the camps, we’re looking at serving 500 campers this coming weekend in addition to the 120 fifth graders coming in on Wednesday. It’s great! Please pray for the Lord to meet each camper at their point of need. Let’s serve them well and put God’s love on them!

Thanks for your patience and understanding, you friends who work at Forest Glen. It will be a bit different from now on with our new payroll and work scheduling procedures, but it really will work out good for you and for the camp administration. Please allow me a couple of weeks to “get the bugs out” and if we need to talk about it, bring me a cup of coffee or invite me to go fishing with you. You may just prefer simply to drop by my office and let me know what you think. I’m always glad to listen to your views on how things could be better here.

Thanks for your prayers for Ken Nolan. He is recovering from his last treatment and we may see him out at camp for a half/day sometime this week. Pray for more good days.

Tonight we have our first quarterly Board Meeting of the year. The 2012 budget should get approved and we’ll appoint officers for 2012 among other business and discussion that will guide our efforts in the future.

I usually do not recommend a product or service to someone unless I am sold on it and I have found it to be reliable and a great value. Maybe it is that same reason why people do not share the gospel…they are not sold on it themselves. They have not fully embraced the life-changing effects of a saving faith. Perhaps they have little faith to talk about. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes.” (Rom. 1:16) Are you sold on it? Your life and lips will tell.

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2012-01-03T09:37:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Happy New Year! to you and your loved ones. I am excited about all that God is doing and will do in the coming 12 months. Who knows?...maybe we will meet Him in the air in 2012. This could be the best year ever.

A lot has transpired since I wrote a few weeks ago. We were able to get the new tank installed for the sewer plant upgrade, but air pumps were delivered for wrong voltages, so the equipment will be replaced in a couple of weeks. The 8 older cabins on Northshore have received new paint in the bathrooms, new sink fixtures, lights, and mirrors. This week the installations should be complete. Some of you have had a part in the difficult work of scraping the old paint…THANKS for your labor of love. Our campers sure will appreciate the new look, feel, and smell! Oh, yes! and one more thing…looks like we are getting a new internet service provider that will enable us to provide unlimited access to our guests in 12 hotspots around the campus. We’ll also have guaranteed download speeds that are 8X faster than the satellite connection we now use. No more “bandwidth police” and we’ll actually be able to maintain our website without going to town for a better connection.

We served four groups during the break between Christmas and New Year. It was a great way to end 2011. I have yet to see the comment sheets, so will report results to you next Monday.

The well that has been keeping some water flowing into the lake has stopped, a crew should be out tomorrow morning to let us know what the problem is. I am praying we have a broken pipe or malfunctioning pump rather than a lower water table.

Please continue to pray for Ken Nolan. He has been doing better, but still very weak. He’s going to M.D. Anderson tomorrow for a second of three chemo treatments if the doctors think it prudent.

Numbers are in for the end of December. We served 28,749 campers in 2011, an increase of over 15% from the prior year. Camper/days grew by 12.2% as we were blessed with growth in each of our outreaches. Thank you for your part in this growth. Praise God for His blessings.

May you be blessed in this new year with enough happiness to keep you sweet – enough trials to keep you strong – enough sorrow to keep you human – enough hope to keep you at peace – enough failure to keep you humble – enough success to keep you eager – enough friends to give you comfort – enough wealth to meet your needs – enough enthusiasm to make you look forward to tomorrow, and enough determination to make each day better than the day before.

Lord, please help us to use the 8,760 hours of this year the wisest way we can for You and for Your glory. Amen!

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!!

Forest Glen actually is not a place…it is a group of people who have joined together to serve the Lord and each other by cooking, cleaning, landscaping, building, giving, praying, planning, setting up and taking down, learning, listening, teaching, loving, and living the life that Jesus intended His followers to live. It is the presence of Christ in His people that makes the place called Forest Glen special.

Jesus came to give life abundantly. It is this eternal life that we proclaim to each camper who enters our gate. We share the joy of the angels who brought good news to the shepherds on the hillside and continue their work of heralding the light that has come into the world through Jesus Christ. “For He shall save his people from their sins” Sin wrecks everything. I cannot think of a more abundant life than one that is freed from sin.

May you experience the abundant joy of Christ as you celebrate His advent.

From each of us at Forest Glen

John Davidhizar

2011-12-13T15:15:00.000-06:00

Greetings!

Isn’t it amazing how quickly Mondays roll around? This morning we are off to the start of another great week…but without campers. I am grateful for the opportunity to do necessary maintenance and facility upgrades that can only be done with no campers present. Please pray that this week’s work will proceed quickly and without too many “surprises”.

We have responses from recent campers. Here’s how lives were impacted in the last couple of weeks: “I’ve found a sense of reality that I’ve never had before.” “I was shown how much we need to appreciate not only what adults sacrifice for me, but what Jesus sacrificed for me.” “I learned more and when I get back home I’ll have knowledge on how to serve God in my everyday life.” “I opened up and learned that my peers are going through a lot of the same stuff I am.” “Made me realize that He truly wants me. Powerful worship experience.” “He answered some of my prayers on this trip.” “I’m going to be baptized when I get home.” “I grew closer to God.” “He helped me to understand how important it is to pray and be devoted to Him.” “I got closer to Him and am excited to go home and serve Him daily.”

Staff really does make the camp. Each of you did an excellent job of being a blessing to our campers.

The positive comments were too numerous to include them all, but here are a few highlights: “The constant service was great – loved the food!” “Thank you!!! For your service and commitment.” “This was a life change and I wanna say thank you.” “Everyone was super sweet! Clean cabins!” “This is an awesome place to experience God with our youth. Thank You so much.” “Great rec guides, cooks, and cabin decorators. Food is amazing!” “Did a really good job making gluten free food.” “I wish we had another day to stay here.” “I would eat here 20X a day!” “The girls running archery were nice.” “Kudos to the young lady who made a special pot of decaf on Sunday noon.” It appears that Ricardo was “#1”, Brook provided a “lively” low ropes experience, and Jessica was “friendly” and she evidently “rules”!

Please pray for Ken Nolan. He has nor regained much strength after his chemo treatment three weeks ago and goes in tomorrow for another round if the doctors think he is ready. His request is for “more good days”

The other day I was surprised when I opened the refrigerator to find in place of the egg nog (which I enjoy in my coffee) a carton of “nog” in holiday decorated packaging. Instead of eggs and cream the carton touted “whole grain soy protein”. I was disappointed. I wonder if we grieve the Holy Spirit in much the same way when our lips say one thing and another is resident in our heart. Christian purity is more than the appearance of holiness. It is being genuine and real…truly pure and righteous. I now check the carton before I flavor my coffee! Lord, please make me the “real deal” by Your grace and for Your glory.

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-12-05T21:27:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Last Monday I failed to get a memo out to you…I’m sure you wondered what happened. Truth is, I took most of the week off during Thanksgiving. Then Monday and Tuesday were so busy that by Wednesday I decided to put it off ‘till today. Thanks for your patience.

I am so excited about all of the work planned for this month. We have no campers scheduled for the 13^th-28^th so we will have about three weeks to take advantage of the down time. We scheduled no campers so we could have this window to upgrade the capacity of our sewage treatment facility by 50%. We’re doing some sheetrock repair and lighting upgrades in the Mark Lodge. Day Camp Meeting Room will have a new counter and cabinets installed across the back of the room to facilitate Day Camp meals this summer. We are also getting new cabinet and counters for the Luke Meeting Room along with new paneling to replace the papered wall in front. Then it will be ready for paint. Eight old cabins in Northshore will receive new bathroom doors, new paint, exhaust fans, and new breaker boxes as needed. All of the public restrooms are receiving paint and repairs beginning today, and the Northshore Staff lodge construction continues. Sheetrock work is completed on the lodge, so painting should be done by the end of the week and then electrical outlets, plumbing fixtures, counter tops and wood trim can be installed. In addition to all this, we’ll be working on bathrooms for HISD since the ones in the covered recreation area were rolled into their infirmary remodel two summers ago.

All of the work is being done by existing staff and three volunteer couples except for specialized work done on sewer plant and some cabinet/counter work. We have a fantastic staff!

Ken Nolan is doing a bit better…able to eat, but runs out of strength after walking a short distance. This round of chemo has been rougher on him. He has not bounced back as quickly as the last few sessions of his last round. Please pray for more good days. He goes in for his next treatment a week from tomorrow.

Each of you is invited to bring your family to “Pioneer Christmas”, a program put on Thursday at 6:30 by HISD staff. It will be held at their pioneer site and includes hand dipping candles, hay rides, barn dance, storytelling, hot cocoa, and more. Just let me know so I can tell them you are coming.

In Hebrews 11:4-16 we are given examples of God-pleasing faith and what it involves. The first example is Abel who speaks to us that faith involves worship through his acceptable sacrifice. Then Enoch shows us how the faithful one walks with God. Noah is cited as one who works his faith by obeying God and building an ark. Then Abraham models a faithful wait on God to fulfill His promises…something that didn’t happen during his lifetime. “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb. 11:16)

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-11-15T14:16:00.001-06:00

Greetings!

We had a very nice family picnic yesterday for day campers who were sponsored by the Evergreen Congregational Church. They sent 30 children to day camp last summer and are working to reach out to their families. It is exciting to watch God work. So far three unchurched families have begun to attend at least twice a month. These families include 10 children, 3 moms, one dad, a grandmother, and two aunts. There are so many people waiting to experience the love of Jesus…we only need to share it with them.

This week we have a large group of students from St. Agnes Academy coming in for OLC on Wednesday. Tomorrow we have our next group from HISD and a day group from Legacy Christian Academy.

Congratulations to Chris and Kate Gomez on the safe arrival of little Silas Gomez early yesterday morning. Praise God for this new addition to the camp staff family!

Here are some comments from last weekend’s campers when asked, “How did the Lord impact you during your stay at Forest Glen?”: “Helped me to remember the basics which God has given me and the man he has called me to be.” “He called me to taqke greater leaps of faith.” “Helped to give my life some clarity and perspective.” “Learned that I must lay hold of God’s power and not simply have a form of godliness…The world needs to see relationships that are real.” “I accepted Christ” “Helped me make new friends.” “I felt that He was with me and I accepted Him into my life. He was just amazing.”

More dead pine trees are coming down today. It is sad to see them go. The drought continues to exact its toll. Please pray for rain…looks like we could get some tonight/tomorrow.

Other Comments: “I’m glad God has blessed with such an awesome place!” “Great job of serving our family of God. Thank you for my first experience.” “I wish I had more of those burgers!” “Incredible service provided by staff.” “It was clean and I appreciate the smile of the people who work there. I felt peaceful and welcome. I was able to focus on God’s voice and message for me.” “The facility is really nice and awesome. The staff was helpful as well.” “Great staff, very attentive in everything.”

People who associate themselves with Jesus either draw nearer to Him in worship and service, or they draw away from Him and then fall away. Persecution scares people away from Jesus, false teachers entice them away, and sin keeps them away. Believers are exhorted to “draw near with full assurance of faith, having hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, and let us encourage one another to stimulate love and good deeds. (vv. 23, 24) AMEN!

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-11-10T10:21:00.001-06:00

Greetings!

Isn’t the levee on the lake amazing! We are so pleased with the outcome of all of last week’s dirt moving. We now have water around the island and can actually launch canoes from the Northshore canoe beach.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who went above and beyond to serve the needs of the wedding this weekend. You made it a very special time as these families joined together two of their finest.

Here are some comments from last weekend’s campers when asked, “How did the Lord impact you during your stay at Forest Glen?”: “He revealed to me again the majesty of His nature and our need to get away from the hustle and bustle of life to find our real lives in Jesus Christ.” “Learned to give the Lord my all.” “I was able to grow close to God through small group.” “The environment and fellowship were amazing.” “Made us a closer family.” “I was blessed with His word.”

The new beadboard in the dining hall is beautiful…gives it a whole fresh look and feel!

Numbers are in for October. We thank God for the growth He is bringing. As of the end of the month we served more camper/days than we did the entire year last year. We also passed a milestone…for the first time ever we served over 25,000 campers! We could finish the year with nearly 27,000! I am grateful for the 12% growth we have seen over last year. Praise God!

Some staff were memorable to our campers last weekend. Wamber was “amazing”, and Jacy, Kala, and Mandy were “awesome”! Thanks for making such an impact on our campers!

Don’t live without…

Faith…Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. 11:6

Works…Faith without works is dead. James 2:26

Holiness…Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12:14

Love…Without love, you are nothing. I Cor. 13:2

Jesus…Without Me, you can do nothing. John 15:5

These are five foundational pillars in the Christian’s life. To what extent is each of these measured in your heart and life? Each is obtained by the grace of God as you yield to the Spirit of God. What do others see?

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-10-25T15:21:00.002-05:00

I must confess that lately I have been thinking a bit too much about opening day of deer season. I think about it… a lot. It affects my behavior. I spend time watching deer and plan my coming and going so as not to disturb them. Running out of deer feed seems a bigger problem than running out of milk. I dream about chicken fried venison and putting this season’s harvest into the freezer. Has Opening Day become my earnest expectation, my hope? I think now I understand how focused, how passionate I should be about the Day of the Lord’s Returning. Am I prepared and doing all I can to prepare for that Day? Does it affect my daily life? Do I order my day around that hope? What is your expectation and earnest desire? Let us fix our eyes (and the rest of our selves) on Jesus and His soon appearing.

Be sure to give a warm Forest Glen welcome to Mike and Sarah Hoock who have arrived with their R.V. to work for a couple of months. They will be working in the Northshore Staff Lodge on the upstairs wiring. This will get it ready for sheetrock next month. We have two SOWER couples coming to work in December, soooo it’s that time of the year again! Some carpenters will be working this week to build the stairways going to the upper decks.

In other facility matters, equipment should be delivered tomorrow to begin work on building levees in the lake. Our HISD campers will go home on Wednesday this week, so we will have the remainder of this week and all of next week to be operating equipment on the Northshore lakefront. It is too bad that we need to take these seemingly drastic measures, but once again, the Lord has seen fit to remove almost 5’ of water from the lake so we should take advantage of the opportunity to improve it.

Here are some comments from this month’s campers when asked, “How did the Lord impact you during your stay at Forest Glen?”: “He helped with decisions” “Changed my viewpoint on a lot of different issues.” “I found Him again.” “It taught me a lesson and I am now reading my Bible.” “He allowed me to experience fellowship that I haven’t in a while.” I grew closer to God.” “Reignited my passion for Christ.” “Brought me back to Him.” “He showed me that He is real and working in my people’s life.” It helps me to regive my life to Him.” “He blessed us and helped us to let go of our anger/sadness.” “Made me realize how my heart’s been closed.” “Personally He has shown me what I need to do to grow deeper in Him.” “He showed me to fear no evil, especially fear Him, and not be scared to have Him fill me up.”

Interesting comments…”People here are awesome. I loved this camp a lot more than others I have been to.” “I really enjoyed the canoes and the staff are top notch.” “I hate outdoors but loved everything about Forest Glen.” (What’s not to love?) “Vegetarian meals were awesome, and pancakes too!” It seems that Ricardo was a “best memory”, the hot sauce was “pretty dang tasty!”, Tim was “helpful”, and House, Lindsay, and Ian were “delightful”. Ian,…what is the “MK dance?” Seems it made an impression. Is it going viral on YouTube? Finally, Big Mama says, “I’ll be back. God bless you always.”

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-10-17T16:43:00.000-05:00

Greetings!

Is it possible to be “almost a Christian”? I believe a saving faith has three parts, and none can be lacking. First, one must possess knowledge of his sin and of the gospel of Jesus. Then he must assent to that knowledge and believe it to be true. Affiance is the third part. One must turn (repent) from his unbelief and depend upon the atonement Christ has provided. There is a difference in believing that Jesus is a savior and owning that He is my savior…the difference between life and death.

What's happening at camp....

We had a good Forest Glen Board meeting last Monday evening. We gave thanks to the Lord for His faithful provision for our needs and for the opportunities He has given us to be a blessing to more and more campers. We had a good discussion about the economic environment we could be ministering in during the next few years. After considering possibilities, the discussion moved to the obedience of faith. We concluded that it would please the Lord is we continued to work hard at the task He has given us and trust Him to see us through whatever circumstances He brings. Amen!

The Board did feel that it was important to take steps now to preserve the recreational and aesthetic features of Lake Grace during the drought. Right now it is half full…or is it half empty? We decided to make it both! The plan is to build a dike to divide the lake and then pump water from one side to keep the other side full. All of the “full” will be on one side, and all of the “empty” will be on the other! Please keep praying for rain.

Be in prayer for Debbie Pool’s husband, Wayne, who was admitted to St. Luke’s this morning because of a high fever. He has some electronics in his heart and Dr.’s are concerned that he does not develop an infection there.

An engineer was on site Friday to begin work on drawing up plans to increase our sewer plant capacity by 50%. He will also be making recommendations for increasing our water storage capacity here at the Huntsville camps.

Numbers are in for the end of September. Through the end of September we have served 53,488 camper days compared to 46,668 during the same period last year. That’s a 14.6% increase! 22,951 campers have come through our gate so far this year. That compares to 19,664 in 2010.

Making Chicago-style pizza for staff on Friday was a lot of fun. It did not turn out as good as I hoped, so I beg you…please give me a chance to redeem myself. I was disappointed with the crust…seems there is a reason you never see convection ovens in pizza restaurants!

Framing is complete in the upstairs of the Northshore Lodge. We are ready for our electrician volunteer. Today, workers are reworking the roof on the Mark Lodge. Pray for safety!

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

2011-10-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

Greetings!

Sorry I didn’t get this out as planned on Monday…yesterday was crazy.

The other morning I was meditating on the subject of maturing in spiritual growth. My mind took me to milestones in a person’s physical and emotional maturing process, so I asked, “What are the milestones in one’s spiritual growth?” I think first we receive everything…the gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit, new life purpose, spiritual feeding…the “milk” of God’s word. We move then from the joy of our salvation to the joy of service where we begin to know and use our spiritual gifts as we plug into the local body of Christ. We have something to share with others and are equipped to do so. Then we enter into the joy of sacrifice, where one gives himself completely to serving others for the glory of God even as Christ gave himself and was obedient to the point of death on the cross. We must all keep growing!

On to camp news.....

Let me hit you with some camper feedback from the end of September…first, comments that were pretty much typical of all the positive comments we received: “Staff were very hospitable” “Food was great” “Food was exceptional” “We had an awesome trip – Thank you and God bless you all!” “Great service – willing hearts from staff. Great concern!” “Food and staff were awesome! God bless!” “Great experience! Staff was very polite and helpful.” “Awesome, I need to come again!” The thing that strikes me is that I read all of the positive comments, they were 10-1 about you, the staff who served them so well. You provided the ideal environment for our campers to be blessed by the Lord!

Here’s how God impacted lives: “The Lord has given me a refreshing in my spirit, gave me confirmation, healing, and deliverance.” “God’s presence was really strong during worship session.” “I learned that we need to obey His voice and those in authority and He takes care of everything.” “I am invigorated with zest and fully refreshed for the Lord.” “Made us realize it might be hard, but to trust God.” “Seeing some of the kids pray for the first time.” “I am free!” “”There are going to be big changes in my life and at home.” “The Lord renewed my soul.” “He made me understand as a single mom, I am not alone, for He is always with me.”

Next week we have a volunteer couple coming in to work on wiring the upstairs of the Northshore staff lodge. I am hoping the interior walls will be framed by the time they arrive. We are re-doing the Lakeside kitchen grease trap line that runs to the main sewer collection systems due to problems with the old one. A roofing crew is coming out next week to repair leaks in the Mark Lodge roof. Then we can get to work painting the interior. Other facility work is being done as time and hands permit.

Please remember to PRAY FOR RAIN! Also, please pray that God will speak to the hearts of each person who enters our gate. Give thanks for all that the Lord is doing and for His faithful provision for our daily needs.

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-10-07T10:17:00.003-05:00

Greetings!

This week we welcome the staff of Champions Forest Baptist Church along with Encourager School and Covenant Christian School. We’ll be serving them on Lakeside and Houston ISD on Northshore. Seven churches are scheduled for this weekend (three at Springs), so get ready!

Give thanks for Ken Nolan’s successful treatments. He’s grateful for your prayers and encouragement.

The following are camper comments from last month about how God impacted their life while at camp. “Impacted through our teacher about letting the Lord mold us according to the Lord’s will and not ours.” “I turned in my life to Christ” “Learned about love and how to love your church family.” “By being able to open up more and share my life with and learn from more experienced Christians hot to love the Lord more and grow closer to Him.” “We prayed for rain and God answered.” I felt so much closer to God during my time here. I grew closer to know Him on a more personal level.” “We became closer and saw deeper, more spiritual sides of each other. I am stronger in my relationship with God and will lean on and trust in Him more.” “Helped me make some tough decisions.” “He helped me realize who I need to be and how to accept others in my heart again.” “I learned that when I feel alone, that I’m not.”

Isn’t it great to be a part of God’s work in lives? I love serving at camp!

Camper comments were very, very positive about the service they received from staff at Forest Glen. On camper wrote, “I feel that I am in heaven. I love it…this is my first time here.” Here’s another, “Todo esta muy muy bien. Gracias por todo.” I couldn’t have said it better myself! This comment is my favorite, “The service and atmosphere is absolutely incredible – still after 15 years coming. Thank you!” Here are a few more choice comments: “This is the best place I have ever been!” “This was an amazing experience. Great job!” “Staff is excellent, food is good!” “Well-run camp = extremely pleasant, polite staff – thank you.”

Please be in prayer for the quarterly Board Meeting coming up a week from tonite. The stewardship of God’s work is a big responsibility. We want to understand God’s direction with a commitment to obey Him.

Do you have a life characterized by mercy, grace, and help from God? You can…Hebrews 4:16 points the way. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.” Friend, if you are a stranger to prayer, you are also a stranger to the active power of God in your life. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8.

That’s all for now. May God bless you with His peace and joy..

John Davidhizar

2011-09-12T16:38:00.003-05:00

Greetings!

Due to vacation, I did not get the “Memo” out on Labor Day last week. I hope this one makes up for the loss.

Speaking of loss, let’s uphold all who have suffered in recent wildfires. Some continue to burn. Please remember the Board and staff of Camp Wilderness Ridge in Bastrop. The camp along with the director’s home and cook’s home were lost to the fire. Pray for wisdom and strength as the leadership seeks the Lord for His direction from here. The camp director’s name is Ron Hunt. Pray for the Lord’s hand of protection upon us as Forest Glen is situated in a pine forest much like the camp in Bastrop. Pray for rain!

The first group of 5^th graders came in from Houston ISD last week. I think we were ready for them. The staff is very appreciative of their new housing and your attentive service. We are going to try to get some electrical power out to their “Texas Pioneer” area and create some more watering areas for their animals. Tranelle (the HISD nurse) has requested that we pray for her and her husband. He is in CCU at Conroe Regional with double pneumonia on top of other issues. He is not doing well at all. Let’s lift them up.

It feels like we are fixing to be in the used car business. The time has come for us to retire some of our jeeps, a beat-up S-10 pickup, and an old suburban (the red one) that is running so good I sort of hate to see it go. With the roads paved now, we no longer need jeeps, so we are wanting to make the move to more cost-effective transportation. Talk to Ken Nolan if you have an interest in one of our “old” vehicles. Have we got a deal for you!

Numbers are in for August. Praise God with me for His faithfulness in bringing campers to camp. Through the end of August we served 48,375 camper/days. That’s 15% more than we served through the end of August last year. During the month of august we grew from 5,891 camper/days last year to 7,214 c/d’s this year. We thank God for the growth, and thank you for serving our growing camper population so well. Please continue to pray that the Lord will impact the life of each person who enters the gate of Forest Glen.

Hebrews 2:1-4 exhorts us to “pay heed to the word you have received lest you drift away”. Most people do not intend to destroy their life…it happens in small increments through a series of seemingly harmless wrong choices. When we take stock of our life it is easy to rationalize the drifting and convince ourselves that we can handle it and we are still O.K. Perhaps it would be wiser to ask ourselves, “Where is my life headed?” Small steps on the wrong path still lead to destruction. Where is your heart taking you? Are your feet taking steps toward Christ, or are you drifting away from Him?

That’s all for now! May the Lord bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-08-29T15:52:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

We have a bit of a “lull” here at the first part of the week before things get real busy for the Labor Day weekend. We’re expecting Oakridge Christian Academy and Ovilla Christian School to come in on Wednesday-Friday and then a very busy weekend. Let’s pray that God will change the hearts of each camper who enters our gate. Pray for RAIN as well!

The Lord has called home one of His servants. Pauline Tate went to be with the Lord early Saturday morning. Harold and Pauline helped to found Forest Glen 40 years ago. What a blessing Pauline was to her family and to the thousands of lives the Lord used her to impact. We give thanks for her life and rejoice that she continues her life in the glory of the presence of the Lord. Let’s keep the Tate family in our prayers.

Here’s how God worked in lives recently from comments received: “Several young people were saved” “Got me back on fire for the Lord.” “Changed my attitude” “I was saved” “Reminded again of God’s faithfulness” “I was nervous at first about coming…having never been to camp myself. But I just saw how God works in so many ways if we just trust Him.” “Leading someone to Christ” “Made me appreciate time with my wife and son” “It made me realize how much we should change and thank the Lord.”

There are a few “fix up” projects that we will be working on this fall. We need to update the quad cabin with new bathroom fixtures, flooring, air conditioners, and of course paint and window treatments. It looks like this will be about a $20,000 project with the a/c’s and everything. A $2500 donation has been received, and other contributions of time and $ are needed to complete the work. We are also considering extending the boardwalk along the dam (while the lake is low) and doing something with bathrooms near the Northshore Rec. area.

A.W. Tozer writes in his work, The Root of the Righteous, “A German philosopher many years ago said something to the effect that the more a man has in his own heart the less he will require from the outside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man….” Tozer is speaking in the context of exposing “The Great God Entertainment” whose disciples have multiplied in recent decades to the detriment of our own spiritual health. When given the choice, feed your spirit, or feed your appetite for social stimulation, which is chosen? I fear our habit is to live without want for social stimulation while our spirits have become anemic, unexercised, and malnourished. Let us endeavor to make and keep our appointments with the “Great Physician” who alone builds our inner man so we can walk in strength.

That’s all for now! May the Lord bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-08-23T10:05:00.001-05:00

Greetings!

Did you miss me? Kathy and I were gone on a 35^th anniversary trip last week so…I didn’t write a memo and send it out. Yes, we had a great time, and yes, it is good to get home!

HISD Staff moves in today to prepare for their year of serving 5^th graders from Houston schools. We are happy to see the returning staff and greet the new ones.

Looks like the Day Camp Lagoon has been dug out and is now ready for activity structures. Some of the deeper areas are filling with water via ground seepage from the lake. Lake Grace is really low right now, lowest I’ve seen since 2001 when a good part of it was drained. Let’s keep praying for rain to give us some relief from the drought. The trees are really suffering…many have begun to drop leaves in a premature dormancy.

Here’s how God worked in lives recently from comments received: “He really spoke to my heart. I think He changed me forever.” “He changed my life from living for me to living for Him.” “I’m starting to make changes.” “I’m encouraged to read the Bible.” “Our group has decided to form an accountability group.” “People got saved and baptized” “I’ve grown stronger in my walk” “He spoke to me about choosing to love more.” “He showed me that I am very loved.” “He took away my doubt in Him.” “The Lord opened my eyes to loving Him more each day.”

We are tracking right along with year-to-date camper/days as of the end of July. We finished the month with about the same as last year for the month, but we are 13.7% ahead for the year and 13.3% ahead of our budgeted projections. We have served 17,112 campers and a total of 41,161 camper/days as of July 31. Praise God!

Several people have asked recently where to fish in the lake to catch fish. I haven’t been fishing out there for weeks, so my standard response is, “find a place with some water more than a foot deep and try there!” The fish have fewer places to hide and should be easily found. Getting them to bite is another story.

I am amazed when I meditate on God’s love. His thoughts toward each of His children are even more in number than my thoughts for each of my children. Amazing! David tells us in Psalm 40:5 that they are more in number than can be counted! Know that God is thinking about you today, and every day. He is with you and His thoughts are with you. What a blessing!

That’s all for now! May the Lord bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar

2011-08-08T13:22:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

We have a busy week ahead of us! 250 freshmen from Sam Houston State are in Lakeside camp this week while Day Camp and several other groups are in Northshore. Springs camp is serving two groups this week and Saturday we’ll greet Star of Hope campers on Northshore. Our summer season is coming to an end, but we are serving in “overdrive” to the end of the month as the second half of August is filled with school groups. Praise God!

As summer staff moves out of the Staff Lodge, the new construction team will be moving in to complete the common room and laundry facility before HISD staff moves in. Presently the construction team is working on decks and walkways around the building.

Today we were supposed to begin digging out the new waterfront activity area for Day Camp, taking advantage of low water levels in the lake. It looks like equipment has been delivered, but as of this writing…no operators to run it.

Here’s how God worked in lives recently from comments received from all three camps: “He made me realize that obstacles will come my way that will have to be overcome.” “God spoke to me about trusting in Him to be faithful and to keep praying and reading the Bible.” “God spoke to me through the leaders.” “He taught us about the courage and integrity we gain when we trust in Him.” “Got baptized.” “Learned the victory we have and where we stand in Christ” “I am sure I was saved by Jesus now.” “Some of my friends accepted Christ.” “Revealed to me how sinful and selfish I am” “I accepted Him!” “I met a strong mentor.” “He met us here and changed a lot of lives.” “Taught me how important it is to involve Christ in my life.” “I made right with God.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR RAIN!...but not a tropical storm or hurricane. We would lose a lot of trees if we received strong winds when dry soil has shrunk away from roots.

No single part of a 747 jetliner can fly by itself. All the parts have to be present and working properly for the plane to fly safely. This is called “irreducible complexity”. The same principle is present in our body…if one part fails to work properly, we become ill and if there is no healing, then other systems fail and our body dies. We can praise God with David, who wrote Psalm 139:14: “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” God made me like He wanted me to be, for His glory. I am not an “accident of nature” and neither are you! Glorify God with your body!

That’s all for now! May the Lord bless you with His peace and joy.

John Davidhizar