Good Old Times

Tonight I went back to my church's summer camp for the evening. It has been a couple years since I have been able to go, and I was looking forward to getting a chance to visit again, even if I couldn't go for the whole week.  This camp had been the best week of the year for me growing up.  It had been where I recommitted my life to Christ, where I first started to make lots of friends, and where I was pushed to step up as a spiritual leader.

I got there later than I had hoped to and the worship for the evening service was already in full swing.  As I walked toward the chapel/dining room, I heard the sounds of kids singing to God at the top of their lungs, and instantly I felt back at home.  As I walked in I was immediately greeted by friends, I hadn't seen in a while, some of them a year.  I sat in the back and listened to the message, and then hung back to set up the room for the talent show.

During the talent show, I had the surreal feeling that I was a fly on the wall, observing something I used to be an integral part of.  So many of the campers were faces I had never seen before.  The last talent show I had been to there, I had been running the sound, now I simply sat and enjoyed watching. After the talent show, we went down for the campfire meeting which was always my favorite part.

They had asked me to lead worship, which was such a blessing.  It was so amazing to be at this camp again, around the campfire where I had first given a talk, where I had first shed my hypocrisy and told my true testimony, and where I had time and time again worshiped God.  Worship wasn't perfect, I forgot a chord or two; and the fire leaped up a couple times, knocking the guitar out of tune.  It didn't matter though, because worship is about joining together to praise our wonderful and amazing God, who loves us so very much.  There is nothing like leading so many voices in praise to Him.

Finally I got to end the evening off with catching back up with some old friends, and hearing what God is doing in their lives and where God is leading them.  It was such a good reminder that the best parts of this life are the people in it.  God calls us to love Him, and love people.  When we surround ourselves with people pursuing God, it is then that our hearts become encouraged.

Lately I have been stuck inside my own head a lot.  It's very easy for me to sit back and start analyzing myself and where my life is going, and soon I become very disheartened.  Tonight I was reminded how important it is to get outside ourselves. Proverbs 27:17 talks about how "iron sharpens iron." We can't live this Christian life alone. We weren't meant to. Instead, let's spend our days praising God together and loving on people.

A Glass Dimly

“If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a 'wandering to find home,'' why should we not look forward to the arrival?” - C.S. Lewis

This world is not our home, it is easy to forget, but it is not the case.  Lately this point has become even more apparent to me.  Coming home for the summer when you go to school over 2,000 miles away is different.  Suddenly you are spending every minute with the closest people to you in the whole world, but who you haven't seen in four months. It's awesome to come back, but it has gotten me thinking a lot of where I really belong.

The more I have tried to figure out where I belong now, I have begun to realize how little I see clearly.  Paul gives us the image of a man who stares in a mirror, but the mirror is all fogged up.  He is able to see a glimpse of who he is, but it is obscured.  He promises however that someday we will be with Christ face to face.  While on this earth, God is continually revealing Himself to us.  More every day, we learn better who He is and how much he loves us.

The exciting part though, is that this is not our home.  This is merely a short time, during which we have the chance to love God and love people.  Someday, we will be in Eternity with Him who made and loved us, and then there will be no glass, for we will be staring into the face of God.