2nd Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
“STEVE”
I first heard about him in the spring of 1988 when my “partner in crime,” Gene Monk, called me from “the road” to question me about a young man who he had just interviewed at a small West Texas college for a summer staff position at Camp Ozark. Everything about the young man was a plus, Gene informed me. He had a great personality, solid faith, loved kids, very athletic…the whole package; however, he did have one small issue, a slight speech impediment. In other words, he stuttered. After hearing Gene describe all of the other positives about this young man, we mutually agreed that there was certainly no reason to be concerned about hiring him to serve on our staff for the summer of 1988.
And so it was that in late May of 1988, I met Stephen Wayne Puckett for the very first time. What a blessing to my life!!! Steve turned out to be one of the best counselors that we had that summer or any summer for that matter. He was what we now jokingly refer to as “a man’s man”: athletic, handsome, personable, humble, competitive, and a kid magnet. At the time, he even had what, believe it or not, was quite the in vogue hairstyle: “a mullet” (for those of you too young to remember what a “mullet” is, it was a hairstyle that was cut fairly short on top and on the sides, but had a longer “flip” in the very back…quite stylish in 1988). Steve came back to camp for many summers after that first summer, serving as a counselor, Top Staff member, Permanent Staff member (twice) and now, 23 years later as wizened veteran of the camp experience. To this day, every summer Steve is still able to steal away from his duties as a varsity football coach and teacher in Brenham, Texas, to bring his 4 children to Camp Ozark for first session. And every summer, without fail, he makes a valuable contribution.
I can tell you dozens of ways Steve has impacted kids, staff members, and the camp experience as a whole in his 23 years of service, but I will never forget the time that he impacted me personally the most. It was during that first summer of 1988 and we had requested that Steve share his personal testimony at our traditional Sunday service at the cross. As I listened to Steve, slightly stuttering, tell the story of how, as an 8th grader, he had gone out with his father one morning to feed the cows and, after doing his part, at the instruction of his father, he had begun returning to the house to get ready for school when he heard a gunshot. A few moments later, when Steve arrived back on the scene, he found his father dead from an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound. As Steve described his immediate reaction to the death of his father, who he loved dearly, and the impact it had on him for years to come, I was immediately drawn to the powerful presence, comfort, instruction, and growth that God had imparted to Steve over the years through this horrific tragedy. As Steve recounted his personal journey through immense sadness, anger, rejection, and finally acceptance of the love of his heavenly father, he recounted how he had relied on one simple passage of scripture, Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Now this wasn’t the first time I had heard this scripture. As a matter of fact, as soon as he mentioned the passage, its words came into my mind. No, having grown up as a regular attender of both Sunday school, church, and BTU (Baptist Training Union), I had committed that particular passage of scripture to memory years before Steve mentioned it at the cross that Sunday afternoon; however, when placed in the context of a 14 year-old, 8th grade young boy, tragically losing his father and dealing for years with the aftermath and effect of that tragedy, the scripture suddenly and instantly came to life and took on an entirely different perspective for me personally. It became alive.
If you work at camp this summer you will hear this scripture. If I ever perform your wedding ceremony (I have done dozens of them for camp couples) you will hear this scripture. If you read your Spiritual Emphasis Manual as you are preparing for a cabin devotional, you will read this scripture. And, for the next 10 days or so, every one of these pre-camp devos will be based on this one simple passage of scripture. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that “all scripture is God breathed and is useful...” This summer, as we prepare for camp, Proverbs 3:5-6 will take us on a 10 day journey, a journey that will hopefully prepare you for what lies ahead. Each of you, the summer staff of Camp Ozark and Camp War Eagle, must be prepared to take advantage of the great opportunity and great responsibility that awaits you this summer. Some of that preparation will be in the form of our all-important orientation and pre-orientation where you will receive intense, necessary, and relevant training that will prepare you to succeed, but pre-orientation and orientation will come soon enough, in their own time. For the next 10 days, I want you to join me in concentrating on what one little piece of God’s word can do to prepare us for the incredible opportunities that lie ahead. Every day we will take one little piece of this passage that will allow you to begin to understand what it really takes to succeed at the most amazing job a college young person can have. If you use these pre-camp devotionals to properly prepare your mind, your heart, and your spirit for the awesome experiences of the summer, you will, no doubt, be an amazing staff member. I can assure you that no matter what you encounter at camp this summer, deep within the word of the God of all creation you will find the blueprint for success. I know that each of you is capable, willing, and primed to be the most incredible summer staff member possible. I look forward to meeting you and experiencing the summer of 2011 with each of you in due time…and, oh, by the way, just in case you’re wondering, Steve doesn’t stutter anymore. He is also an amazing father, husband, friend, and servant. One of my annual highlights will be experiencing camp again with Steve this summer… minus “the mullet,” of course.
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