Day 1: Sunday

Eric Testa leads the first evening's session

Every summer, when I come back to Camp White Eagle, I ask myself the same question:

"How has it not yet occurred to anyone that giving teenaged boys an unlimited supply of Tabasco is a bad idea?"

We've only had 1 meal here at the Explore session of the Rise Up summer, and the experiments with hot sauce have begun again. Thankfully, no one has challenged me to a contest of who can swallow the most spoonfuls — yet. Like I said, we're only 1 meal in. Most of these kids could swallow spoonfuls of reactor fuel from 3 Mile Island and then go play dodgeball for 2 hours; my stomach has significantly higher mileage than theirs, but I dare not show any fear or weakness, lest the whipper-snappers overrun me.

 Eric Roberson is like "Dudes, I need a brownie too!"

We've seen that the other traditions of Explore camp are in full effect, too. Some children are already homesick but scared to show it, others are new here and scared of not being labeled "cool." But, most of this group have been to White Eagle numerous times, and have close friends from other cities that they're overjoyed to see in a format other than Facebook.

Oh yeah...social media. They're already exasperated. The camp rules state clearly that no electronics are allowed here, other than cameras — but some of our youngsters are of the understanding that they have an exemption. Because they will "so totally die" without their mobile phone.

Your counseling staff is rounding up the contraband from those who believed the no-gadget edict applied only to others. They will learn by sunup that there is life after texting.

"Look, enough is enough, I need some texting, right now!!"

Years and years and years ago, when I counseled my first camp session, I wondered what this generation would be capable of doing without hand-held video games and music players. I learned immediately, and have seen annually, that kids have not changed at all: Take away the fancy toys, hand them a volleyball and show them a mud pit, and watch the magic. Parents, your Rise Up counseling staff can attest that your kids are just as bright, just as crazed and just as capable of loving God as any generation before them.

And they're just as creative, once you take the phones away and force them to use their imaginations.

Which is where Tabasco changes from condiment to canvas.

Why does the counselor's cabin never have Pepto?