Personal Discoveries are made by people of many different backgrounds and scholarly ability, here are just a few.

'The book of Daniel is well known for a few events concerning furnaces & lions and it has something to do with 'Son of Man', so what would we find at camp?

At first it seemed to be a mixture of weird dreams and strange events. After reading the book a few times understanding the characters became important, this book is not just about Daniel - he doesn't even appear in the furnace story!

Then what about a timeframe? After a bit of work things became clearer but stranger. As Daniel was captured by Nebuchadnezzar by the time Cyrus captured Babylon he was in his eighties and even older when they tried to feed him to the lions! I bet they don't teach that in Sunday School. Other people did character studies not only on the characters in the story but also in the dreams, this was very useful information and helped me greatly.

Meanwhile the dreams were disturbing me, was there any link? It took many hours but finally I found that they all were about kingdom, particularly earthly kingdoms rebelling against God's kingdom. Daniel's final dream is a ride through time until the destruction of the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem (which happened in AD 70) - the book started at the destruction of the original Temple in Jerusalem. I was amazed!

We made many other discoveries and felt satisfied that although it was still weird and strange we did have some understanding of what the author was trying to tell us and that it was a complete book, far from just a collection of stories.'

© Bruce Madden

 

'I first came to camp in 1990 after being invited by a friend from church, and I have been going ever since. What keeps me coming back to camp are the special friends I have made throughout the years, And the fact that at no other time during the year do I have so much space and time to just focus on a book of the Bible and spend time with God.

M.D. has always been a special time of reflection, both of the year past and the year to come, and of fellowship both with old friends and new. I like using the M.D. method because I find it challenging and useful, both in learning about the book we are studying and reflecting on what God has to say to me. M.D. is the springboard for my year, helping me to move ahead re-focused on God's word and guidance for my life.'

© Catherine Allen

'Why I keep coming back to Manuscript Discovery Camp year after year.

Hi, my name is Meredith and I am a Visual Arts teacher by trade, however, every year I know that my real calling is to participate at Discovery Camp. Here I am able to read God's word for myself without any outside interpretation. Yes, occasionally I find myself questioning my faith and posing answers to myself that are quite ridiculous, but I revel in the fact that we are 'allowed' to do this on camp and that ultimately there is a truth there to be found. This is a camp for Christians who have gone beyond the 'question and answer' 'comprehension test' Bible studies of our youth. For me this camp also addresses my whole spiritual being, of meditation and the discovery of life changing attitudes. Every year I know that God speaks to me through his word whatever book we study, to make me more like Jesus.'

© Meredith Buining