My wife and I just returned from another wonderful weekend of Family Camp at Camp Christian, a place set apart. Jim and Terry Jones pulled together great speakers and music for a weekend of celebration, growth, and fellowship. It was a wonderful time and place to know and be known by God and one another, a place to belong. I love enjoying time with God and time with family among the ancient oaks, hemlocks, pines, maples, and hickory trees at camp. I love the opportunity to meet new friends and old friends as we grow in our relationship with one another and with God together.

This year, three speakers came to camp, all from one family and representing three different generations. That’s part of the beauty of Family Camp. We witness God working in His people through the generations. This year we had grandparents, parents, children and even grandchildren playing, eating, worshipping, and enjoying the nature of Camp Christian together. It truly is a place set apart and we were able to take the time in that place to know and be known by God and one another.

To help us know and be known, the speakers (Jeff Bush & Liam Bush) encouraged us to take off our shoes like Moses did so he could connect with God on holy ground. We didn’t literally take off our shoes, but we were encouraged to “take off” whatever interferes with our true connection. The speakers reminded us that “taking off” whatever blocks true connection with God and one another invites that connection to grow from generation to generation.

We also had a visit from Peter (Jeff) and Andrew (Liam). Yes, the apostles visited us and taught us the meaning of God’s inclusive, unending love. They reminded us of our commission to share that love with the world. (I’m just glad Andrew was there to keep Peter on the right track.)

Surprisingly, Noah (Jeff) also came for a visit. He had a wicked hairdo and a grumpy disposition. I guess I can’t blame him for the grumpy disposition; he’s been highly misunderstood, his trials trivialized into an idyllic adventure on an “arky, arky” with the animals that compliantly came in “twozies, twozies.”  At any rate, he explained the true meaning of his “adventure,” a message about coming into Christ through the waters of salvation that purge us from the sin that threatens to overwhelm, a message of hope in the purifying waters of God’s cleansing flood of grace and mercy…even if we fall short after growing some grapes of our desire.

Finally, we looked at the trees. Specifically, we looked at the mighty cedars of Lebanon in which the cypress takes refuge and grows (Zechariah 11:2-3). The speaker (Art Bush) reminded us of our role as cedars of Lebanon, those in whom others take refuge and grow. We become cedars of Lebanon in our role as parents, teachers, ministers, friend. As cedars of Lebanon, we need to take care lest we fall. We need to continue to nurture our roots in the gospel of Christ and stretch out our branches toward God in communion with Him. We need to take His nutrients into our leaves and share them with the cypresses that rely on us for nurturance, protection, and growth. When we do, we establish, in our presence and in our families, a beautiful time and place to know and be known by God and one another from generation to generation. That’s a calling I can get excited about.