“
Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
— Luke 5:16
Our Mission
Equipping families to raise children of character through faith, presence, and purpose.
Founder's Story
From Camp Counselor to Founder
Jesus Was A Camper began with founder Dr. Dustin J. Krein's years as a counselor at Joseph Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp in Little Rock, Arkansas (2013–2015). One day the camp's director told him, “You know, Dustin…Jesus was a camper.” The phrase never left him — that camp's rhythm of community, presence, and “fail with dignity, repeat with success” still shapes the mission today.
After 13 years in education, Dustin is convinced our presence and attention are sacred — and harder to protect than ever in an age of constant screens. Spiritual development, he believes, is the cornerstone of a strong identity and purpose. Jesus Was A Camper, LLC exists to give children and families screen-free experiences that reconnect them with God, nature, and one another in the present moment.
— Dr. Dustin J. Krein, Ed.D., Founder & CEO
The Meaning Behind Jesus Was A Camper
How Did Jesus Spend His Time?
What if we lived more like that?
In the wilderness
Walking with people
Around campfires and meals
Teaching outdoors
Seeking solitude and prayer
Building authentic community
Jesus was a camper, a traveler, a trailblazer. The signature philosophy of Jesus Was A Camper™ is the Seven Pillars of Presence — mirroring the life of Jesus during His time of ministry.
Pillar 1
Hit the Trail
Pillar 2
Slow Down
Pillar 3
Break Bread
Pillar 4
Dig Deep
Pillar 5
Make Something
Pillar 6
Build the Fire
Pillar 7
Wander Well
Free for Families
Field Guides
Take the kids outside. We’ll handle the rest.
Short, ready-to-go outings that get your family outdoors, paying attention, and bumping into God in the middle of it — no lesson plan, no craft supplies, no clue required.
Nothing to buy
Everything happens with what’s already in your yard.
Nothing to fall behind on
No week 1, no week 12, no streak to break. Any outing, any day.
Yours to keep
Save any outing as a PDF — print it, use it in ten years.
Made for real families
Mixed ages, fifteen minutes before dinner. Built for that.
Start today, free
Give us your name and email and the whole library opens up. No card, no catch.
Open the Field GuidesFive outings ready now · ages 3 through 18
From the Trail
Books & Family Resources
Raising Analog Kids in a Digital World
A guide for parents raising grounded kids in a screen-saturated world.
View on Amazon →
Jesus Was a Camper: Bugs & Blessings
Counting and discovering God's tiniest creatures, one bug at a time.
View on Amazon →
Jesus Was a Camper: Little Devotional
Short, faith-filled reflections for young hearts on the trail.
View on Amazon →
Jesus Was a Camper: Presence Devotional
A guided devotional for practicing presence, one day at a time.
View on Amazon →
Digital Sabbath™
Screen-Free, Soul-First Workshops
Teens now spend 7–9 hours a day on screens — and the strongest predictor of a teen's relationship with screens is the parent's own. Our Digital Sabbath workshops are built as parallel sessions for parents and teens alike, unplugging together.
We recently led a Digital Sabbath workshop for 30 teenagers at Metropolitan Ministries — it generated enthusiastic feedback and requests for more.
Bring a Workshop to Your Church
Join the Campfire
dustin@jesuswasacamper.com →
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Speaking
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