Avon Park Camp Association

08/31/2026

Comforted By God
“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you. You will be comforted in Jerusalem.” — Isaiah 66:13

Isaiah closes his prophecy with a beautiful picture of God’s tenderness toward His people. After chapters filled with warnings, judgment, restoration, and hope, God describes His care using an image everyone can understand—the comfort of a loving mother.

A mother comforts her child with tenderness, closeness, and compassion. She does not merely acknowledge the child’s pain from a distance; she draws near. God uses this familiar picture to help His people understand something profound about His character: He is not distant from the suffering of those who belong to Him.

God says, “I will comfort you.” That is a promise rooted in who He is.

There are seasons when we desperately need that assurance. Grief may linger. Disappointment may leave us weary. Circumstances may change in ways we never expected. Sometimes even faithful believers carry hurts that other people cannot fully understand.

But God understands.

His comfort does not always mean that He immediately removes what is causing our sorrow. Often, He comforts us by strengthening us in the middle of it. Through His Word, His Spirit, His promises, and the fellowship of other believers, He reminds us that we are never beyond His compassionate care.

The gospel gives this promise even greater depth. In Christ, God has drawn near to us. Jesus entered our suffering, carried our sin, conquered death, and secured an eternal future where sorrow will finally end.

When your heart hurts, do not withdraw from God. Draw near to the One who promises, “I will comfort you.”

Life Application:
Bring one specific burden to God today rather than carrying it silently. Tell Him where you are hurting, then spend time resting in His promises and trusting His compassionate care.

Prayer Points:
Lord, thank You for Your tender and compassionate care.

Comfort me in the places where my heart is hurting.

08/28/2026

Walk In Newness of Life
“We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.” — Romans 6:4

Romans 6:4 reminds us that the gospel does more than promise forgiveness—it brings us into a completely new way of life. Paul points to baptism as a picture of our union with Christ. His death and burial represent the end of our old life under sin’s dominion, while His resurrection points to the new life we now have in Him.

The Christian life is not simply an improved version of who we once were. Through Christ, we have been given a new identity and a new direction. The same divine power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work transforming His people.

Paul therefore says we should “walk in newness of life.” Walking suggests daily, ongoing movement. Following Christ is not confined to one spiritual experience or moment of commitment. Our new life should increasingly affect our attitudes, relationships, priorities, habits, and choices.

This does not mean believers immediately become perfect. We still struggle against sin, but sin is no longer our master. Because we belong to Christ, we can turn away from old patterns and pursue righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps there are areas of your life where you have been tempted to think, “This is simply who I am.” The gospel tells a better story. Your past does not have the authority to define your future. If you are in Christ, you have been called to walk differently.

Christ was raised from the dead, and because you belong to Him, you can walk in newness of life today.

Life Application:
Identify one old attitude, habit, or behavior that does not reflect your new life in Christ. Ask God for strength to replace it with an action that reflects your new identity.

Prayer Points:
Lord, thank You for the new life I have in Christ.

Help me leave behind the patterns of my old life.

Empower me to walk in holiness and obedience each day.

08/27/2026

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.” — John 14:1

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples during a deeply unsettling moment. He had told them that He was leaving, that one of them would betray Him, and that Peter would deny Him. Their familiar world was about to be shaken. Yet into their uncertainty Jesus said, “Don’t let your heart be troubled.”

His answer to a troubled heart was faith: “Believe in God. Believe also in me.”

Jesus was not telling His disciples to ignore their circumstances or pretend that everything was easy. He was directing their attention away from what they could not control and toward the One they could completely trust.

Our hearts can become troubled for many reasons. We worry about our families, health, finances, relationships, and the future. Sometimes our minds race ahead, imagining outcomes that have not happened. Fear grows when we focus continually on uncertainty rather than on the faithfulness of God.

Jesus invites us to respond differently.

Trust does not mean we understand what God is doing. It means we know enough about who He is to place ourselves confidently in His hands. Christ had already demonstrated His love, power, wisdom, and faithfulness to His disciples. They had every reason to trust Him, even when they could not understand what came next.

The same is true for us. Jesus has proven His love ultimately through the cross and His power through the resurrection. Whatever tomorrow brings, our Savior remains trustworthy.

A peaceful heart is not produced by having every answer. It grows from trusting the One who does.

Life Application:
When anxiety begins to trouble your heart today, identify the concern and deliberately place it before Christ. Replace anxious speculation with a specific truth about God’s character or promise from His Word.

Prayer Points:
Lord, calm my heart when fear and uncertainty arise.

Help me trust You when I cannot see what comes next.

Keep my thoughts anchored in Your faithfulness.

08/26/2026

You Are With Me
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” — Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23 does not promise that following the Shepherd will keep us from every dark valley. David says, “Even though I walk through” the valley. Difficult seasons are sometimes part of the path God allows us to travel. Yet the comfort of this verse is that we never travel them alone.

David’s confidence was not based on knowing how quickly the valley would end. He could say, “I will fear no evil” because he knew who was walking beside him: “You are with me.”

That changes everything.

God’s presence does not always remove difficult circumstances immediately, but it gives us courage within them. When the future feels uncertain, when grief is heavy, or when fear whispers that we have been abandoned, Scripture reminds us that our Shepherd remains near.

David also finds comfort in the shepherd’s rod and staff. These instruments represented protection, guidance, and correction. The shepherd defended the sheep from danger and gently directed them back onto the right path. In the same way, God faithfully guards and guides His children.

Notice also that David walks through the valley. The valley is not his final destination. For everyone who belongs to Christ, even death itself cannot separate us from our Shepherd. Jesus has conquered death, and He will bring His people safely home.

Whatever valley you are walking through today, your greatest comfort is not that you know what comes next. It is that your Shepherd does.

And He is with you.

Life Application:
When fear rises today, deliberately replace “What if?” with the truth, “God is with me.” Trust your Shepherd to guide you one step at a time.

Prayer Points:
Lord, remind me that You are with me in every valley.

Replace my fear with confidence in Your presence.

Guide, protect, and comfort me as I follow You

08/26/2026

Avon Park Camp reunion in Kokomo, Indiana. Jim and Jean Callaway, Bud and Judy Drake, Larry and Kelly Gates, Pat Hiatt, Jerry Lee Ausbrook and Wilma Blackwood Ausbrook, Ron and Mary Weisheit, Julie Hostetler, Janet Sewell, Liz and J.R. Rumple and their daughter and great granddaughter. Go Hoosiers.

08/25/2026

Someone has hacked our account and if you received a message about T shirts it is not from Avon Park. We will only sell our t shirts at the camp. We do not take orders on message or Facebook.

08/25/2026

The Golden Rule
“Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” — Matthew 7:12

Jesus gives us a remarkably simple principle for how we should treat others: treat them the way we would want to be treated. Often called the Golden Rule, this command goes beyond merely avoiding harmful behavior. Jesus calls His followers to actively pursue the good of others.

It is easy to show kindness when people are kind to us. The greater challenge comes when someone is impatient, inconsiderate, or difficult. Our natural response may be to return the same attitude we receive. Jesus calls us to something higher. Instead of allowing another person’s behavior to determine ours, we are to let God’s love shape our response.

Jesus says this principle summarizes “the law and the prophets.” God’s commands concerning our relationships with others ultimately point toward genuine love—seeking another person’s good with the same concern we naturally have for ourselves.

Imagine how our homes, churches, workplaces, and communities would change if we consistently lived this way. Before speaking, we could ask, “How would I want someone to speak to me?” Before judging, “How would I want someone to respond to my weakness?” Before overlooking someone’s need, “What would I hope someone would do for me?”

Following the Golden Rule allows the character of Christ to become visible through ordinary interactions.

Life Application:
Choose one person today and intentionally treat them with the patience, kindness, respect, and grace you would hope to receive yourself.

Prayer Points:
Lord, help me treat others with genuine love and kindness.
Give me grace when people are difficult to love.
Let my actions reflect the character of Christ.

08/22/2026

08/22/2026

08/22/2026

Snowbird Reunion. Der Dutchman, Belleville, OH