what people see through the "windows" of our lives

I had to (yes, had to) speak at a chapel last week. I really didn't want to but I knew it was my turn and there was no bumming it off on to someone else. Long story short, it went pretty well and God came through, like I knew He would by giving me something to talk about. I even enjoyed it... especially after it was done. :)


My topic was What if "camp" was a way of life? I tried to share how the awesome things that make a summer at camp so special could also be incorporated, indeed SHOULD be incorporated, as part of our every day life. Here is one of my points.

Camp life involves being a role model and discipleship. We share our faith first and foremost by living it out. Our bodies are a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). I’ve heard it said that our lives may be the only “bible” that some people ever read. We all have an “inner” life – where we keep certain things to ourselves like our dreams, ambitions, hopes, oddities, etc. We all have an “outer” life as well. This is what people see and observe. Do they always get us right, understand our motives, really KNOW us? No, of course not. One thing that drives me nuts is when I am misunderstood or people put me in a box about who they think I am. We all do that to other people and we’ve all had it happen to us. But I digress. We are to live lives that support and act upon our beliefs ….

The other weekend I was with some friends and we were driving up 11/15 towards Lewisburg. There is about a 2 mile stretch of two lanes of vehicles jockeying between traffic lights. I looked over and this girl in the car beside us was digging for gold. There was no attempt at being stealth either! Just as I exclaimed this to my car-mates, the finger comes out the nose and goes lower!! AAHHHH!! I couldn’t believe it. And it continued to last through another traffic light! Just like cars, there are some barriers of privacy but people can still see into the windows of our lives. Use this illustration as a check point. People may not be able to know what’s in my heart, read my thoughts, or listen to my conversations but what actions in my life are evident? Do I love God and people?

Discipleship is an on-going process and should involve growth. Have a mentor, be a mentor. There are no grandchildren in God's family. We are all sons & daughters. It is so encouraging to see campers come back the next year, a little bit taller, a little less needy and asking deeper questions about faith. Similarly, when summer staff want to come back for another summer a big part of the interview process is hearing what they are doing to continue to learn more about God and choices they are making to put their faith into action. After all, it's mighty tough to share authentically what you don't first have personally. Jesus' disciples saw him praying and asked him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). At camp discipleship takes on many forms. We pray together, talk about our struggles, serve one another and choose to have a good attitude no matter what. This leads to lots of joy and campers absolutely adore their counselors and hope they can have them the next year. They love being around positive role models who make life fun because they model what it is to love Jesus and live for God.

Any time nose picking can draw a spiritual parallel... :)