Bec and I went camping again this summer. Ten glorious days out in the open – enjoying fresh air; ocean vistas and pristine beaches; rigging up the tent with ropes between the soaring, massive firs and cedars (I forgot the tent poles at home); long, lingering evenings reading or poking at the fire; freshly brewed coffee courtesy of our little camp stove; gazing up at the stars through the open top of our tent; wandering forest glades and trails as the warm afternoon sun slanted through the trees; huddling in our tent as thunder rolled and crashed against the hills and flashes of lightening made instant day out of midnight; lazily paddling our inflatable dinghy around the lake and tying up to a leafy branch in a shaded cove to eat our cold pizza from the night before; and “s’mores”. It is impossible to fully describe our experience.
We took time to relax and enjoy a season of “sabbath”1. As we did, our senses became more and more attuned to God’s extravagant creation all around us. Time after time we would exclaim over some new forest vista or delicate blossom. We breathed deeply and exhaled slowly – the air refreshed and invigorated us. We paused often to just gaze on something that one or the other of us noticed. Often we would exclaim out loud – “Thank you, Lord!” We have returned from our vacation invigorated both physically and spiritually. Truly, thanks be to God!
We did not rush our mornings but rather made time to linger in prayer and the Scriptures together – enjoying a fresh, spiritual intimacy. It is the lesson of the campfire. Campfires require regular tending. An untended campfire soon goes out for lack of fuel but a well tended one burns hot – radiating its heat and warming all those around. The longer the campfire burns the more and hotter are the embers. Those embers radiate much more warming heat than does open flame – but embers cool quickly if separated from each other – they need each other’s warmth (encouragement) to glow their fieriest. A well directed breeze further stirs glowing embers to give off even more heat.
Thank you Father for the wind of your Spirit. May he fan our spiritual fire with the breath of heaven and stir in us a white-hot devotion to you.
You can view our gallery of camping photos here.
- 1 One of the books we read was “The Rest of God” by Mark Buchanan. We were challenged and encouraged to take time for rest.
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