Simple Truths

As I promised earlier, I will now share something that God showed me at camp. This may seem like a very elementary level lesson, but I believe we often need to be reminded of the simple truths. Something the speaker said at camp one morning really struck me, as if I had been overlooking something very basic for a long time. What he said was something like this: "Imagine a hand so large that it stretches across the entire sky. Now imagine the size of the body that goes along with that hand, and you will begin to catch a minute glimpse of just how great and powerful our God is." This is a simple truth that every child learns through songs in Sunday school, yet for whatever reason, I had began to overlook or take for granted this very basic concept. I think in my case the idea of Jesus residing within my heart was so ingrained in my mind that I failed to recognize the vastness and power of God. I still don't claim to even come close to wrapping my mind around this concept, but it is a humbling experience everytime we are reminded of these simple truths.

I think that David grasped this concept when he wrote: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm." (Psalm 33:6-9)

All of this causes me to ask myself 'If I truly believe that God is so great and powerful, why is it that I have such difficulty wholly entrusting my life to His hands, especially in regards to what the future may hold?' It is not an easy thing for me to put aside any hopes and dreams that I may have and just sit back and let God plan my future. It can even be downright frustrating at times not knowing what the future holds in store for me. But when you think about, who better to provide for you than the almighty Creator of the universe? I think that when we forget about the vastness of God and try and place Him in our own pre-conceived boxes of thought is when worry begins to enter our lives. The issue of completely surrendering my will to His is one that I am continually grappling with, but deep down I know that the best life for me is the one in which God has in store for me, not necessarily the one I think I need. Anyways, just goes to show that with all of our theology and beliefs, it all boils down to some very simple truths, truths worth being reminded of.

Sleep-Deprived Ramblings From Camp

What a week! I just got back last night from an intense, painful, and hugely fun week of jr. teen camp. In this blog I will attempt to recount some of the events of the week, for those of you not fortunate enough to be a part of it. Despite what the picture to the left may look like, most of us did actually shower throughout the week. Also, I did not shrink in size to Rae Ann's height, I merely ducked down so we could fit in the same picture. Over all, it was a most excellent week for me, as I had a great time with both the campers and the counselors. It was a slightly strange experience counseling with guys whom I had counseled just a few short years ago, but at the same time was exciting to see how much they've grown since then. Those counselors who were not previously aquainted with the Cold Lake/Vermilion crowd had to get used to our unique sense of humor in a hurry.


As I said earlier, the past week at camp was a painful one for me, as I seemed to injure myself on a daily basis. The very first night I wrecked my neck and back carrying around my junior couselor on my shoulders (pictured at left) during the first game. Despite our best efforts, our team still lost. Another injury occured while shooting a basketball around. I went in for a lay-up, and in mid flight, my right knee be came well acquainted with the pole supporting the backboard. But my pain was not finished for the day, as shortly afterwards I was entered into the soccer tournament (in which we lost by a goal in the finals, I might add). My body was simply not meant to run around a field chasing a black and white ball for an extended period of time. This wouldn't have been so bad, had I not desired to win so greatly that I sacrificed my body on numerous occasions and ran like a wild honeymoon stallion that had just been tamed. By the end, I vowed to never take breathing for granted ever again, as I was on the verge of passing out right there on the field. Another time, my leg got cut up while cleaning the girls side of the shower house when I broke a mirror and had it shatter into thousands of sharp shards of glass. I had only some minor bleeding scrapes, but the nurse proceeded to wrap my leg up like an Egyptian mummy for reasons unknown. The final injury that comes to mind occurred while out canoeing. Me and my junior counselor Warren decided that we would try and see how long we could last while standing on the seats of the canoe and rocking it. We lasted about five seconds, before we both bailed, and I smashed my elbow on the canoe as it flipped and landed on top of me. Although my body took a beating this week, at least I didn't run into a barbed wire fence like somebody else who will go un-named for their sake.

It was also a very exciting week in terms of what God accomplished in the lives of the campers. I know of at least two guys who made first time committments, and at least one other who wants to be baptized, and that was from my cabin alone. I know that there were many other comittments made in the other cabins. It actually came as a surprise to me, as for the entire week we failed to get them talking about spiritual matters of any sort. But anyways, those are just some of the many things that took place at Belle View this past week, and most certainly will not be my last blog about camp. Go Cabin 7!

Adventures In Being Huge

If the above photo is not a picture of pure determination, I don't know what is. Yesterday I had the privelege to join a friend of mine for a fun-filled day on the lake, doing some tubing and water-skiing. The first (tubing), was a successful endeavor, despite being sent skimming across the water for a good ways after wiping out and almost losing my shorts in the process. The latter (water skiing) was a valiant attempt on my part.

I gave it my best effort, not having realized how difficult of a sport water-skiing is (my friends made it seem so effortless!). After about 5-10 minutes, I was already exhausted, and if I hadn't been in the water, would probably be reduced to little more than a puddle of sweat. It was a little painful at times, and I realized just how little flexibility a guy of my substantial size has. And that was just my numerous attempts to get the skis onto my feet.

Next came the part of trying to remain upright while waiting for the boat to pull me out of the water. If you thought I was a little top-heavy on land, you should see me in the water with a pair of skis on, as I repeatedly kept rolling onto my side, a postion that might give me a face full of water, but would definitely not allow me to start skiing. Once I mastered that, I was ready to go.

Unfortunately for me, though my mind was willing, my body wasn't. Time and time again I desperately tried to get up out of the water on my two skis, but some things just aren't meant to be. Towards the end of the whole ordeal, I had inhaled so much water up my nose during my many wipeouts that I feared the lake would become too shallow for others to use, so I called it a day. I am not one who enjoys admitting defeat, but there are some things a guy like me apparently just isn't meant to do, and I can accept that fact. Further evidence of this is the fact that today I have somewhat lost the use of my arms and shoulders, as I discovered that I have many muscles that had been dormant all these years. Once again, I am huge. But I'd do it all again in a heartbeat, as there is no better way to spend a long weekend than in the company of friends, especially if those friends have a boat. So there you have it, my first installment of what I like to call Adventures In Being Huge.