I’m speaking at a camp this weekend on Chautauqua Lake: Mission Meadows,. Jay Baehr, the camp administrator who invited us, and his wife, Betsy (former student) are here and it has been fun to see them. Of course, we are more than happy to see Lukas and Annika, and Annika’s parents (Gordie and Marleen Nelson). Here are the titles for my talks:
The cross “before the cross” (self-denial)
The community of the cross (how the cross creates the church)

The gospel of the cross (I’ll focus on 2 Cor 3:18-4:5)
Camp culture interests me, in part because I’ve read about the history of Chautauqua (the famous institute out here). What was once a summer vacation for families, largely revolving around preparation for Sunday School teachers, is no longer what it once was — but the whole thing survives with considerable life and hope. So many folks have sacrificed for camps like this, and there has been so much ministry. For me a camp is always a taste of the history of the Church in the area.
We had an uneventful drive out here — through (admittedly) rather uneventual northern Indiana and Ohio. (Now, don’t give me too hard of a time because we grew up in such uneventful turf.)