Do you fish? If you do not, it may be because of this slimy, wiggly thing you have to put on the end of a hook! Baiting the hook may not be the best part about fishing, but it leads you to the best part—catching a fish!
As you know, Jesus spent a lot of time with fishermen. Though fishermen in the New Testament generally used nets, and I do not know of a time when Jesus actually fished himself, He definitely knew how to “bait the hook.” The purpose of Jesus’ earthly ministry was to lead others to the salvation only He provides. However, He knew how to bring them in so that His purpose could be accomplished.
Often, Jesus would preach to very large crowds. Why did these crowds come to see Jesus? Many came to see or benefit from His miracles. Wouldn’t you be interested in seeing the lame walk, the blind see, water turned to grape juice, and watching five loves and two fish being fed to five thousand men plus their families! Talk about an exciting free meal! So Jesus’ miracles attracted the crowds, and He taught them about salvation. The miracles were the “bait” (so to speak), but the purpose was spiritual decisions.
At the Bill Rice Ranch, Junior Camp is loaded with fun! This is a draw for boys and girls ages 8-12. What kid would not want to be a part of Monster Basketball, the Frog Race, the Pool Rodeo, INFLATAventures, and Chicken Noodle Soup? Then you have Battleball, a western rodeo, Sponge Wars, the Pentathlon, Cowboys & Indians, A.I.M, the Adventure Hike to Lookout Point, and Water Bombs! Kids come from all over the country to interact with two hundred other juniors at Cowboy Town, Oasis Time, the Cowboy Story, swim time, the choir, American Heritage, and the list goes on.
But fun is not the purpose of Junior Camp. The real highlight of each day for both campers and counselors is the evening service (and I mean that). In these services, the preacher puts biblical truth on the “bottom shelf” so all the juniors can understand. Just as Jesus did miracles to draw a crowd, we use fun to draw Juniors to the Ranch; and then we get to the real purpose—spiritual decisions. Each summer, thousands of decisions are made regarding obedience to parents, starting to read the Bible, having the right attitude, having a proper relationship with friends, and more.
When I was a camper at the Ranch in the ‘90s, I made many decisions that literally changed the direction I was headed. I am where I am today because of spiritual decisions I made at the Ranch as a young person. This is what we want for each of our campers.