Unpack Camp Night 1: Rest (Updated 5-28)

This is our crew at Amplify. I love student ministry. I’ve been in it for over 20 years now in Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, and now North Carolina.

So I’ve seen a lot.

I’ve seen powerful altar moments, students called into ministry, lives changed by Jesus… and I’ve also seen dodgeballs hit people in the face, mystery smells in church vans, and teenagers make decisions that made me question whether frontal lobes are real.

And somehow, I still love it.

I love camp. I love seeing students laugh hard, worship loud, and take real steps toward Jesus.

(Family Pic)

I’m originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and my wife, Kayla, grew up in South Carolina. We actually met at a district NYI event in East Tennessee, which feels very youth ministry: meeting your future spouse at a church event surrounded by teenagers, pizza, awkward games, and probably somebody playing acoustic guitar.

Kayla is Salvadorian, and I’m Scottish/British, which basically means our house is a beautiful mix of pupusas, Southern food, and whatever my ancestors thought boiled potatoes were supposed to be.

We have three kids: Brayden, who is 15; Ava, who is 12; and Elena, who is 6. So pray for us. We have one learning to drive soon, one in middle school, and one who still has enough energy to power a small city.

And honestly, our whole family loves food. Like, any food. If there is a table, a plate, and a reason to hang out, we’re probably in. Pupusas, shrimp and grits, tacos, barbecue, hot chicken, cereal at midnight — we’re not trying to be difficult. We’re trying to be available.

Also, my sister Gena is a pastor’s wife. She’s married to Andy, who pastors in Georgia at Marietta First Nazarene. So ministry kind of runs deep in our family, which means we have a lot of church stories, a lot of Sunday lunches, and probably too many conversations where someone says, “You could use that in a sermon.”

A few things you need to know about me: I love basketball. I’m a Kentucky Wildcats fan, which means every March I experience deep spiritual formation through hope, heartbreak, and bracket disappointment.

I love baseball, and I’m a Braves fan. But I was a Braves fan before it was cool — before Acuña, before Chipper, before all the winning. I go all the way back to the Dale Murphy days, when being a Braves fan required faith.

I love working out, playing basketball, and church softball. But the older I get, the more my knees have started filing formal complaints. I’ll make one quick move and my knee will be like, “Dear sir, we regret to inform you that this activity has been denied.”

I love Marvel. I love Star Wars. I love dad jokes way too much. Actually, I’ll prove it:

Why did the scarecrow win an award?

Because he was outstanding in his field.

Some of you laughed. Some of you groaned. Either way, that joke did exactly what it was called to do.

And I’ll be honest: after 20 years in youth ministry, I’ve also learned that every generation has its own language. I’m trying to keep up, but y’all are making it hard.

Like, apparently now people just say “6-7” and somehow that means… something? Nothing? Everything? I don’t know. Dictionary.com even picked “6-7” as its 2025 Word of the Year, which is wild because it’s barely a word and mostly just a noise with confidence.

Then there’s “skibidi,” “Italian brain rot,” Lida Beeda Boda But, Dubai chocolate, and whatever else the algorithm cooked up this week.

So if I accidentally say something like, “That worship song was very 6-7, no cap, skibidi sanctified,” just know I’m trying my best and someone should probably take my phone away.

Also, since we’re at camp, I feel like you should know I have experienced the full range of camp chaos.

One time at camp, some students broke the back door of the church van. Not dented it. Not scratched it. Broke it.

And then I had to explain that to my lead pastor, who is an all-business guy from Atlanta. You know those people who don’t need to yell because their silence is already terrifying? That was the conversation.

He’s looking at me like, “Kyle, how did this happen?”

And I’m standing there like, “Well, pastor… what had happened was… the students were experiencing Christian community with intensity.”

That is youth ministry right there. One minute you’re worshiping Jesus, the next minute you’re filing an insurance claim.

But honestly, I love it. I love teenagers. I love the energy, the honesty, the chaos, the inside jokes, the brain rot, and the way God can meet students in a powerful way at camp.

So tonight, I’m excited to be with you. We’re going to laugh a little, be honest, open God’s Word, and give Jesus room to speak to us.

Title Slide*

Pick up backpack.

Backpack Object Lesson

“Anybody overpack for camp?”

Anybody pack like you were coming for four days but prepared emotionally for a six-month mission trip?

Anybody already realize you forgot something important?

Game: “One Bag Unpack”

Bring up 4 students.

Pass around one mystery bag containing 4 funny items.

Student #1 reaches in, feels around, and pulls out one item without looking.

Before they look at it, they have to guess what it is.

Reveal the item and give it to them.

Repeat with the next student until all 4 items are gone.

Start light and funny:

Interactive “Stand Up If”

Build from funny → meaningful.

Examples:

Let’s do this really quickly:

Stand up if this is your first camp.

Stand up if you were excited to come.

stand up if you sang Taylor Swift in the shower this month

stand up if you were nervous coming here

stand up if school stresses you out

Stand up if you’ve ever felt pressure to fit in.

stand up if you’ve ever felt not enough

Stand up if you have ever had a moment with God, but then life got loud again and it became hard to hold onto what He showed you.

stand up if you’ve seen God move before…

“…but you went home and life got loud again”

ME

I’ll never forget the first time I ran a Nazarene District Youth event.

It was District Blast Talent, which some of you might know as TNT or Festival of Life, at Elk River Nazarene in Charleston, WV. That was a church we served at for almost three years.

The year was 2012, and this event basically got dropped in my lap out of nowhere.

I had about a month to pull everything together: contacting churches, finding judges, making sure everyone was registered, setting up rooms all over the building, organizing the schedule, answering questions, and trying not to lose my mind.

It was a lot of work in a very short amount of time.

Now, I don’t usually stress about much. Most things don’t really get to me. And honestly, I’m not usually too worried about what people think of me. Compliments are nice, of course, but if somebody doesn’t like me, I can usually live with that.

But I’ve learned something about myself: when I get super busy and don’t take time to rest, I freeze.

Like full-on deer-in-the-headlights freeze.

And that’s exactly where I was that Saturday morning in 2012.

I’m already a little awkward on a normal day. But that morning? I was next-level awkward.

I was standing in front of more than 200 teenagers and adults, trying to welcome everyone, explain the details for the day, and act like I knew exactly what I was doing.

But on the inside, I was falling apart.

You know that feeling when you’re trying to act normal, but everything in your body is screaming, “Bro, this is not fine!”? That was me.

I was exhausted. I was overwhelmed. I was trying to lead, but I felt like a total dufus.

Afterward, my friend Michael, who was also a youth pastor, came up to me and said, “Dude… are you okay?”

I was about two seconds away from crying and having a full meltdown.

But apparently there’s some unwritten youth pastor dude code that says you can’t do that in public, so I just looked at him and said, “Yeah, bro. I’m good.”

I was NOT good.

But somehow, I made it through the day.

And honestly? The event went great.

We finished strong, students had fun, and at the closing ceremony we even did the Harlem Shake with the whole district.

Does anyone know what the Harlem Shake is?

Is it ok if I show you what it was like from that day?

*Harlem Shake Video*

And yes… that made at least one adult on the district very upset.

Oops.

WE

[Show mountain/perspective image.]

Now, I walked out here carrying this backpack for a reason.

Key line: “Everybody carries something.”

[Hold up school binder.]

Pressure to perform. Pressure to get the grade. Make the team. Make your parents proud. Keep everybody happy. We get home late from the game and gotta be up at 6 the next morning for school. Work until 10 and then homework until you pass out.

[Hold up phone.]

Some of us carry comparison.

We see everybody else’s life, everybody else’s highlight reel, everybody else’s opinions, and somehow we start feeling like we are behind.

[Hold up mirror.]

Some of us carry insecurity.

We wonder: Am I good enough? Do I look right? Do people actually like me? Do I matter?

[Hold up rope.]

Some of us carry relationships or situations that are pulling us down.

[Hold up rock.]

Some of us carry hurt, shame, anxiety, regret, or things we don’t want anybody else to know about.

Some of us came here to camp carrying things..

You can be laughing. You can be playing games. You can be standing in worship. You can be sitting beside your best friends.

And still feel heavy on the inside.

This week, I want you to think of camp like a mountain.

Sometimes when you’re down in the valley of normal life, all you can see is what is right in front of you: pressure, stress, noise, temptation, insecurity, hurt.

But sometimes God uses a week like this to lift your eyes and help you see clearly again.

To see Him clearly. To see what you’ve been carrying.

To see that you are not alone. To see that He has more for your life.

Camp isn’t about escaping your real life forever.

It’s about getting perspective with Jesus so you can go back into your real life changed.

And tonight, I want to start with a simple question:

What are you carrying?

Info- Wisdom slide

But with the speed at which life goes with technology and busyness, it’s hard to find that rest.

We have the collection of all the world’s information at our fingertips.

And it seems like that info doubles daily...

It’s enough to make anyone crazy...

Imagine trying to drink from a firehose. That’s what life feels like for a lot of us right now. We have all the world’s information in our pockets: news, memes, drama, homework, Bible verses, opinions, videos, and random facts we didn’t even ask for.

And it’s funny, because we can know the answer to “Which potato are you?” but still not know what to do when we are anxious, tempted, lonely, or confused.

The problem is not that information is bad. The problem is that information is not the same as wisdom. Information tells you what’s out there. Wisdom tells you what matters, what’s true, and what to do next.

That is why we need God’s voice above every other voice.

James 1:5 says if we lack wisdom, we can ask God, and He gives generously. So the question is: with all the voices speaking into your life, which voice are you actually following?

So how do we find rest in the midst of chaos?

GOD

*real rest*

In the book of Matthew, Jesus gives an invitation to everyone that feels burnt out with life:

Matthew 11:28–30 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jesus shares this message to a Jewish culture that was bogged down by hundreds of religious laws that were made so that people could avoid sinning.

Some of these laws were ridiculous.

The Pharisees took God’s good law and kept adding extra rules on top of it. Some of it got REALLY detailed. They debated how far you could walk on the Sabbath, whether carrying a mat counted as “work,” and whether someone was spiritually suspicious because they didn’t wash their hands the “right” ceremonial way.

Jesus even said they were careful to tithe tiny spices like mint, dill, and cumin, but they missed the big stuff: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

That’s the danger of religion without relationship. You can look the part, say the right words, follow the rules, and still miss the heart of God.

Jesus wasn’t impressed by people who counted spices but ignored mercy. He came to bring us back to what matters most: loving God with our whole heart and loving people the way He loves us.

Jesus even got into “trouble” with some religious leaders who were mad that His followers were picking and eating grain from a grainfield on the Sabbath day of rest.

It’s like if you were to take an apple from a tree on Sunday afternoon and I told you that you were a big ole’ sinner for doing that on a church day.

Crazy right?

Jesus thought so too...

He was never obsessed with rules.

He always wants our hearts...

Matthew 11:28–30 The Message

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

When Jesus says “I will give you rest” it literally means, “I will rest you.” It’s His presence that gives rest to tired souls. That’s why He said, “Come unto me.”

We all know what it feels like to be exhausted.

You get home late from a game and still have to be up early for school.

You work until late and then still have homework.

You have sports, band, drama, church, friends, family expectations, practices, grades, and a phone that never stops making noise.

Life gets exhausting.

And it’s not only physical tiredness. Sometimes your body slept, but your soul is still tired.

*Yoke Graphic*

You’re tired of keeping up. Tired of trying to make everybody happy. Tired of acting like you’re okay. Tired of drama. Tired of worrying. Tired of feeling like you’re not enough.

The yoke (v. 29) symbolizes submission to someone’s authority. To take Christ’s yoke is to acknowledge fully His lordship in your life. It was also used in the sense of discipleship, of accepting the teachings of a certain person.

To take Jesus’ yoke means to accept His way of life.

What is Jesus’ way of life? What was He like?

“I am gentle and lowly in heart.”

Those who are gentle and humble find rest.

Pride breeds restlessness, but humility brings restfulness.

The gentleness of Jesus is the answer to the violence and evil we see in the world around us.

Jesus responds: My yoke is easy, and my burden is light (v. 30).

To a person who loves Christ, doing His will is easy.

“Love makes all burdens light”

This means that love changes the way we see things like sacrifice.

Think about it: if someone you barely know asks you to do something inconvenient, it feels annoying. But if someone you deeply love needs help, you don’t think, “What’s the least I can do?” You think, “Whatever it takes.”

That’s why a parent will stay up all night with a sick child. That’s why a friend will drop everything when someone is hurting. That’s why Jesus went to the cross. It wasn’t easy, but His love made the sacrifice worth it.

Oswald Chambers said: If we are abandoned to God, our whole life is his. There is no awareness of striving to let go, no struggling to abandon. We aren’t torn between our old life and our new. We are simply given over to our Lord. Our entire existence is wrapped up in him, and the consequences of abandoning ourselves never enter into our thinking.

When following Jesus feels hard, the answer is not just “try harder.” The answer is to grow deeper in love with Him. To be “abandoned” to Him. Because when you truly love someone, obedience stops feeling like a burden and starts becoming a response.

So after Jesus gives the invitation, here’s what it looks like for us to actually respond:

Psalm 139:1–3 NIV

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

Before you ever open up to God, God already knows what you’re carrying.

He knows the pressure you feel. He knows the insecurity you try to hide. He knows the sin you feel stuck in. He knows the shame you don’t talk about. He knows the anxiety that keeps you up at night.

And here’s what’s amazing: God fully knows you, and He still fully loves you.

But God’s love doesn’t just pat us on the back and leave us buried under the same weight. His grace meets us right where we are, and then His Spirit begins to cleanse, heal, and reshape us from the inside out.

So when Jesus says, “Come to me,” you don’t have to fake it. You don’t have to act like your backpack is lighter than it is. He already knows. And He’s still inviting you close.

You’re already known by God, and you’re still invited by Jesus.

So Jesus gives us rest, but He also gives us each other.

Galatians 6:2 NIV

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Camp is not just a room full of random students who all happened to ride in church vans and eat too many snacks. This is community. This is what the family of God is supposed to look like.

And Galatians says we “fulfill the law of Christ” when we carry one another’s burdens. What’s the law of Christ? Love God and love people.

That’s holiness. Not just avoiding bad stuff. Not just following rules. Holiness is love made real. It is the love of Jesus shaping how we treat each other.

So if someone is carrying anxiety, we don’t shame them. We help carry it. If someone is carrying grief, we don’t ignore them. We sit with them. If someone is carrying temptation, we don’t gossip about them. We help them come back to Jesus.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is say, “I need help.” And sometimes the most Christlike thing you can do is notice someone else who is struggling and help carry the weight.

Jesus carries what we can’t, and the church helps carry what we shouldn’t carry alone.

Some of you walked into camp wondering, “Do I fit here? Does anybody notice me? Do I belong?”

Romans 15 says:

Romans 15:7 MSG

So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!

That means we don’t welcome people because they already look the part. We don’t welcome people because they already know all the songs, all the Bible answers, and exactly when to raise their hands in worship.

We welcome because Christ welcomed us.

And holy people should be welcoming people. Not fake welcoming. Not “you can sit here, but we’re still judging you” welcoming. Real welcome. Jesus kind of welcome.

Because holiness is not acting better than everybody else. Holiness is being filled with the love of Jesus so deeply that we move toward people with grace and truth.

Jesus welcomes us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us as we are. That’s the beauty of grace: we are received, forgiven, cleansed, and made new.

So tonight, you belong here. Not because you have everything figured out, but because Jesus welcomes tired, messy, imperfect people. And if Jesus welcomes us, then we are to welcome one another.

You belong here because Jesus welcomes you — and His grace can make you new.

YOU

In the Old Testament, a guy named Moses is scared and stressed out bc he’s leading a million complaining people through the wilderness and into a land God has called them to.

But Moses knows that there’s no way he can do this on his own.

It’s just too much.

And so He asks to know God more...

Exodus 33:14 ESV

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

And then God reveals His glory-His very presence-to Moses, and Moses is now ready to lead God’s people to where they’re supposed to go...

The same God that gave Moses rest wants to do the same for you.

You ever feel like life is too much for you?

You’re stressed out and can’t seem to catch a break?

Just tired of life?

WHEN I’M OVERWHELMED WITH LIFE, JESUS CAN GIVE ME REST.

Jesus wants to give you the rest you need, but you need to let Him in and allow Him to give you His peace.

You will never find the peace and rest you need without Him...

*Invitation*

As the band plays, I want to invite you to respond.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

So tonight, coming to the altar is simply a way of saying, “Jesus, I’m coming to You.”

Maybe you’re carrying anxiety. Maybe you’re carrying shame. Maybe you’re carrying pressure to be enough. Maybe you’re tired of pretending. Maybe you’re ready to stop managing your life without Jesus and actually surrender.

As the band leads, don’t wait for someone else to move first. If Jesus is inviting you, come.

Come lay it down. Come receive His rest. Come let Him forgive you, cleanse you, heal you, and make you new.

*Band plays one song, feel it out with kids’ response*

After songs (s), Prayer

Jesus, we come to You tonight because You invited us.

You know every student in this room. You know what we’re carrying. You know the things we’ve said out loud and the things we’ve never told anybody.

And still, You welcome us.

So we bring You our burdens. We bring You our sin. We bring You our shame. We bring You our stress, our fear, our exhaustion, and our need to be in control.

Give rest to tired souls tonight.

Forgive us where we need forgiveness. Cleanse us where we need cleansing. Heal what is broken. Free us from what has been holding us.

Holy Spirit, fill us with the love of Jesus. Make us holy, not just on the outside, but all the way through.

Teach us to walk with You. …to live from Your peace. … to carry one another’s burdens and welcome one another the way Christ welcomed us.

And as students come to this altar, meet them here.

Let this be more than a camp moment. Let this be a real step toward You.

We lay down what we’ve been carrying. We receive the rest You give. And we say yes to Your way, Your love, and Your life.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

WE

[Show mountain/perspective image.]

When we come to Jesus, it’s like Sabbath rest for our souls.

Without Him, our souls are constantly working, searching, trying to prove something, fix something, become something, or carry something we were never meant to carry alone.

But Jesus gives us peace and rest freely.

And as He gives us rest, we learn from Him how to live godly, humble, holy lives.

He will never burden us with religious rules just to bog us down. Jesus doesn’t call us into a heavier life of performance. He calls us to focus on Him, walk with Him, and become more like Him.

That’s what holiness is. Not just looking spiritual or following the rules. It’s the love of Jesus changing us from the inside out.

So what if this camp became a mountain where God gave us perspective?

What if we stopped seeing ourselves as stuck, hopeless, anxious, ashamed, or alone?

What if we heard Jesus say, “Come to me,” and we actually took a step?

Because growth happens when we get perspective and take action.

For some of us, that action step is being honest with God.

For some of us, it’s asking a leader to pray with us.

For some of us, it’s laying down shame.

For some of us, it’s confessing sin.

For some of us, it’s forgiving someone.

For some of us, it’s saying, “Jesus, I don’t just want a camp moment. I want to walk with You when I go home.”

What if we all put on the yoke of Jesus and experienced His peace daily?

We would have more patience with people because we would understand how patient Jesus is with us.

We would love others unconditionally, even when they hurt us, because that’s what Jesus does.

We would help carry one another’s burdens instead of pretending everybody’s fine.

We would welcome one another because Christ has welcomed us.

We would live just like Jesus and be a church that shines His light and hope in our communities because He is making us more like Him every day.

So students, I challenge you, don’t just come to camp and leave with memories.

Begin tonight with the end in mind…

The end of…

Leaving with perspective.

Leaving having taken a step toward Jesus.

Leaving knowing you are fully known by God, deeply loved by God, welcomed by Jesus, and invited into His rest.

May we find that rest.

May we live from that rest.

And may we become the kind of people who help others find that rest in Jesus too.

*Turn over to camp leaders*

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