Christians: has anyone here ever been to a youth camp called Chrysalis?
604202
I know a few teens who have been to Chrysalis and they came back all excited about their experience of getting closer to God.  It is up to us what happens after the event - whether we stay closer or go right back to the way things were.
839716
Try the Vineyard Church.  Do a seach on the internet for Vineyard churches in your area.  The vineyard is predominantly a youth and young adult movement.  \n\nBlessings!
573464
I have met several people who left them.  They were founded by Victor Paul Wierwille who wrote the book WHY JESUS IS NOT GOD. Based on that I would find it hard to believe that they might be teaching any sort of 'god reincarnate' sort of thing.  Victor died years ago.\n\nChristians consider them to be a cult based on their non-divine view of Jesus.
359954
I found one on crossdaily.com that is pretty good. But you  have to becarful. I found that even though they are christian there is a good deal of stuff being discussed that isn't exactly christian like. Good luck.
345100
I found a link to the Coffs Harbor Christian Community School website listed under New South Wales Christian Schools inside this website:\nwww.askthebible.com/aussie\n\nCoffs Harbour Christian Community School http://www.coffsccs.nsw.edu.au\nTried clicking on this link and it said do not have permission to access this website. \n\nWill see if I can find you any more info. You can e-mail at mlsereg@yahoo.com with more specifics on what you are needing and I'll be glad to try and help. Be sure to put taniagym in the subject line.
317286
No, I did not, but I do want to go to Church.  The problem I have is that I have a disabled child and two other children.  We did go once and it was awful because we spent the whole time trying to keep our child quiet.  The other two boys were OK and could go off to special groups for the children.  It was quite a stressful experience, so now I try to pray at home.  A pity really, because I wanted my children to grow up knowing all about Church and the meaning of Christmas and Easter.
551967
yes!  C.A.S.A is a non-profit children's advocacy group.  Volunteers work on behalf of abused children, often addressing judges in court matters as well as many other things.\nThis group is well respected and totally legit.\n\nIf you have the opportunity to be part of it...GO FOR IT.  You just may save some child's life.
944567
I have.  Very moving - I love it!  Go try it out!  (Check a Catholic Church).
1059422
There is a camp called Camp Dixie in Alabama.It is really good and they have programs for younger kids too.
627410
One time on a camping trip, we felt a spirit near the bon-fire. We had a ring of 40 tiki-torches around the bonfire. It was a still and windless night, but all the tiki flames near the spirit bent in. One of the people in the circle had a fancy camera. After the campout she went to get the film developed, and all the photos from before the visitor turned out, but after that all the film was blank. She took the camera in to be repaired. The repairman asked if she'd been in a nuclear power plant. All the innards were fried from electromagnetism\n\nMy grandmother died while my niece was in utero. After my niece was born, she would look up at areas where no one was standing, and laugh and giggle. We all knew that she was looking at gramma, so we never showed her any pictures. Finally, at about a year old, she could speak, and my sister showed her the family photo album. My niece picked out her photo and said, "That's Old Gramma."\n\nOn another camping trip, I put my tent right in the middle of a natural faery ring. When I camp, I always have a flashlight with me at all times. The only place I could have lost it was in my tent, so I searched my tent, and the flashlight was not in there. Then I had two friends search the tent, and they couldn't find the flashlight. I put out offerings to the fae, and the next morning, the flashlight was back in my tent.\n\nPersonally, I do spiritual healing with singing bowls. I play the bowl in someone's hand, and feel the vibrations as they extend through the person, and can tell them where the vibrations are and what they're doing.\n\nI used to work with a Reiki master who could tell people many details about their lives while we were doing our energy work. Very specific things\n\nOne time on a camping trip, we created a psychic link which allowed us to keep tabs on each other without needing those family band radios.
1082178
Not really a concern for believers or non-believers, but sure does raise the interest of some Christians. 6 lbs and 6 ounces? really... \n\nDamien is also an ok name by me. But has anyone taken the interest of the child into consideration? Hope the parents don't take this circumstances seriously and cause repercussions on the child when he grows up.
475317
I personally have had very few supernatural experiences, but one of the few was after I came through a particular long “spiritual wasteland experience” that had lasted two years.\n\nFor a few days, everywhere I looked outside, everything (clouds, hills, trees, etc.) was connected by long strands of glowing golden light – like the spiritual symbolism that everything is part of one fabric and interconnected, and I was looking at the fabric of reality itself, as God sees it.\n\nI did not try to force the vision, or “keep” it past its time, it faded within a few days, and I have never had it since.\n\nI know of two other religious experiences that happened to people I know – both are thinkers, one of them being healthily skeptical of such things. The first (now a pastor) had an unexpected encounter with a “possessed” person and cast a spirit out of him. The second was a missionary in Africa and supposedly was used by God to raise a child from the dead (!).\n\nBesides their analytical personalities, I give them both credit for another reason: Neither one really ever talks about what happened to them, unless you go to them and ask specifically, and even then they seem reluctant to discuss it. People tout how wonderful it is to be involved in miracles, but I think it's unsettling (as well as self-challenging) to actually be involved in such things.\n\nUsually someone who fabricates these things is involved in self-promotion, but these men are the opposite. So I give some weight to their words.
908633
Here's what we did: We met in the Sanctuary in the morning, and divided the kids in groups by age. We all sang a song and listened to a story, then had a short speech about cleaning up messes, etc. and then the kids went to their classes. The older kids (k-6th grade) had lessons, a Bible memory verse, music class, art class, etc. While the little kids had one classroom where we did everything. We went outside for a game, and we took them to the fellowship hall for a snack. The kids loved it. I think that's what matters. It's good for kids to do anything they enjoy, that won't hurt them. We didn't tell the kids they would burn in hell forever. What's sick about it? The kids have fun.
1140981
My ex took me to a church.  We went to the upstairs balcony and proceeded to have sex while the parishioners were downstairs praying.  It was fun, and makes a great story - especially for uptight christians.
738433
I went to one in central Illinois beginning in junior high all the way until is was 16 (which was the cutoff).  I fought with my dad because I didn't want to go the first year and didn't want to be away from my friends.  I was sad to tell my father that I had the best time of my life. I made so many friends from all over.  All of the same people went back each year so it was good to catch up with everyone we didn't see  the rest of the year.  I still keep in touch with some people I met there and it was like 10 years ago.  It was a great experience that I would reccomend to all youths.
504193
I once went on a missions trip to Ukraine 2 years ago, and because we had friends there who were part of an organisation, they brought us around and we did things like meeting street children, eating with them, buying food for poor families, visiting elders whose children left them.... and much much more.  It was a most awesome experience, and these types of experiences really humble you and (at least for me) it made me think twice about how content I was. And although I thought that I would be changing others' lives by helping them, it was totally opposite and it was a life-changing experience for me. Let's just say that God works in wonderful ways!
729408
I've heard of this, but don't know of 1st-hand examples.\n\nthe best part? you get to explore spirituality on your own terms, yet within a solidly self-responsible framework. It's quite beautiful and liberating.