Campfire: Farewell to Camp Humility 2012 (+ Winners!)

Another week at Camp Humility has come and gone - time really does go by so fast! I hope you've enjoyed your time here, from our hike this morning to our fishing excursion and our evenings around the campfire. My wish is that this week was uplifting and inspiring and maybe even a little challenging for you!

And - *insert drum roll* - we have winners! With the help of Random.org's List Randomizer (including the initial entries as well as the extra entries), the winners are:

The Secret Keeper - Aizess!

Garden of Madness - Julie!

Wildflowers from Winter - Michelle T (scraphappy71)! 

Thank you once again to the authors and publishers for providing the books for the giveaway! (And winners, I'll be sending you an e-mail soon to get your mailing addresses!)

(I have to post this button one more time for posterity - I had fun making it, and I was happy with how it turned out! *Grin* Thanks, mybannermaker.com!)

And thank you very much to each and every one of you who stopped by and made this week meaningful and so much fun! Your comments and your enthusiasm - as well as your willingness to go along with this whole virtual camp idea... - really have blessed me. I'm so grateful to call you friends! 

So help yourself to one last s'more before you go!!

P.S. When you're checking out of the cabins, don't forget to check the bathrooms and all around your bunk beds to be sure you didn't forget anything! ;)

In Other News...

• The last couple of years I've hosted a birthday bash here... But since this post-intensive week included a multiple-book giveaway, and since it's close enough to my birthday (this Sunday), I think I'm going to pass this year. But I'll see you again on Monday on the other side of 21! ;) And I might be sharing a recipe with ya'll soon - yes, I'm branching out!

• I think I will be going to Disneyland again this summer (in a couple of weeks), so I'm sure you'll be seeing some posts about that soon, too!

• Also, since my permit expired this last month, I had to re-take the written test and all of that jazz at the DMV... But I got 100% again, so *maybe* there will be more entries to my "driving diary" again - we'll see! ;)

Have a great weekend!

Campfire: Fourth Evening

The fire is warm, and though the hour is rather late, I have marshmallows and cookies for anyone who is interested! A toasty campfire on a summer night - a perfect place for some story-sharing, wouldn't you say?

I just wrote a short scene for my WIP (Historical Romance), and I thought I'd share a few lines in honor of "writing day" here at Camp Humility:

A shiver racked her body as the wind swept through Seven Mile Canyon. Sally pulled her shawl more tightly about her shoulders, longing to leave the wretched scene but held in place by the rhythmic beating of desert sand and dirt being flung onto a pathetic casket. Joe and John took turns filling up the hole in the ground, neither man saying a word. What could any of them say? John’s wife left this world mere days before his brother brought his new bride to the ranch.

The scene is rather somber - sorry about that!

But now it's your turn! If you'd like an extra entry in this week's giveaway (click the button in the sidebar to enter if you haven't already done so!), just leave a comment sharing a line or a few lines from some writing that you've done recently - a poem, a scene from your WIP, or anything! Let's celebrate writing and get excited about our stories! =)

(P.S. I had a wonderful time enjoying the outdoors today with my mom and a dear friend - so be sure to stop by tomorrow for our hike here at Camp Humility, complete with freshly taken pictures!)

Campfire: Third Evening

Tonight I've set up an outdoor projector screen so that we can enjoy a movie while we snack on our s'mores and some popcorn! I "previewed" the movie yesterday in anticipation of talking about it tonight. For all you Disney fans out there, we're watching Brother Bear!

(In lieu of posting the whole movie on here, which probably isn't allowed anyway, I'm just going to share a YouTube video I found of a scene that shows the joy of relationships. Enjoy!)



Humility and Relationships

Brother Bear has a lot to say about familial relationships - whether it's blood-related family or love-related family. The three human brothers (Kenai, Denahi, and Sitka) all have different strengths and were given different ways in which they specifically needed to grow in order to become men. In order for there to be harmony and unity between the brothers, appreciation of their differences and a dose of humility are necessary.

Humility, you ask?

Well, Sitka is the eldest, and as such he is supposed to help guide his brothers. But all leaders need to be humble, and it is often shown in their interactions that Sitka doesn't choose to act high and mighty, but instead listens to his brothers, laughs at their antics when they are harmless, and helps them without the need to make himself look good.

Denahi is supposed to be wise. At the beginning of the movie, he often isn't. He mercilessly teases Kenai at times, suggests that he blames Kenai when Sitka dies, and then decides to seek revenge. And yet, he learns from his journey. In order to reconcile with his brother and with his future, he has to be humble enough to realize his errors - and humble enough to share the story with his village later on in his life.

Kenai has a long way to go to learn how to love when the movie first starts. He scoffs at his totem - "the bear of love." He thinks that real men don't need love - they need something much more "manly" like "bravery," "strength," or "greatness." But throughout the movie he realizes how important and powerful love really is. Love, too, requires humility. Kenai had to be humble enough to accept responsibility for his actions, to be open with Koda about his sin, and to choose to sacrifice for another rather than seek his own way. (Jesus Himself gave us the ultimate example of humility in love: "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death on a cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him..." ~ Philippians 2:8-9a)

No matter what position we have been placed in within our family or in our other relationships, humility can help us draw closer to one another. But it all has to start with being humble before our Lord, as our relationship with God is the most important relationship we can have, and it determines how we choose to act in our relationships with others.

Easier said than done, right? This is something I really have to work on! But I hope that on this blog we can remind one another of the value of humility and encourage one another to strive to be more humble. It's a journey, and I'm so glad that you are willing to share it with me!

(You can read more of my thoughts on the movie Brother Bear HERE.)

Campfire: Second Evening

It's been a long (but hopefully rewarding!) day - so let's relax around the campfire with a thermos of hot chocolate (complete with mini marshmallows) and some more s'mores.

Did you enjoy the fishing today? How many of you actually caught fish? And if you didn't, did you still enjoy the experience??

We're going to continue the fishing theme with our devotional tonight. What does fishing have to do with humility? - you might ask...

Well, plenty, if you can't catch any fish! ;)

But seriously, let's consider a story about a fishing miracle:

Humility and Miracles

When you think of fishing in the Bible, do the gospels come to mind? Some of the disciples had been fishermen before Jesus found them, and were still found fishing even after Jesus died and rose from the dead. Consider the account in John 21, when some of the disciples went out fishing, but "that night they caught nothing" (v. 3). In the morning Jesus called out to them and asked, "Children, have ye any meat?" And they responded, "No" (v. 5). So Jesus told them to "cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find" - and "they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes" (v. 6).

The disciples had to admit that they had "failed." They hadn't caught any fish. Having spent hours at a time fishing with my family, I know that it really is disappointing when the fish aren't biting. It's humiliating to go out of your way to catch fish and then not catch any! And to think - we fish for pleasure. While fishing might have been "pleasant" in some sense to those disciples, I'm pretty sure that catching fish meant much more to them. It meant food. For some, it meant a livelihood and a way to provide for their families. So I'm guessing a night of catching nothing was not something to be proud of.

The disciples had to experience what it was like going a whole night without catching fish to truly experience the miracle of catching a ton of fish (153 fish, according to v. 11). Why?

The humbling thing about miracles is that they don't occur because of our own strength or genius or prowess. They occur because of God's power and goodness and love. They occur in order to bring God glory. Not us, but God.

About a year and a half ago I wrote about my very own Christmas miracle - the almost-horrible trip home for Christmas break that turned into an amazing testimony of God's provision. I met a friend who kept me company during the long wait at the San Francisco airport, helped us get a ride back to our hometown when our flight was cancelled, and watched out for me to make sure I was alright. The long delays, the flight cancellation, the late-night drive with virtual strangers... Nothing I could do was going to change the fact that I was not going to be able to fly home that day, nor the fact that unless someone reached out to me and helped me along, I was clueless. The miracle didn't point to my own intelligence or abilities. It pointed to God's mercy and the blessings of friendship that He gives us.

Your Turn!

Can you think of any other connections between fishing and humility? (Feel free to be creative and stretch the connections a bit!) Do you have any miracle stories that you can share with the rest of us that can remind us of how amazing God is?

Campfire: First Evening

Tonight we're having a barbecue along with our campfire - so feel free to help yourself to some steaks or hamburgers or veggie burgers while we get the fire going. Renee brought marshmallows, and there are some graham crackers and chocolate bars over at the picnic table. I won't say anything if you choose to have dessert first. ;) I know this is a bit of a late start to the evening for those of you not living on the West Coast, but I hope you'll still enjoy the refreshments!

Earlier today I attended a Memorial Day service at a local cemetery. This year's service was especially moving, as the group the Avenue of the Flags was dedicated to was none other than our local branch of the Honor Flights program. (I interviewed Vince's sister a year and a half ago regarding her experiences working with this program - you can read more about that HERE.) The determination and dedication given to make sure our veterans get to see the war memorials in Washington D.C. is so admirable and beautiful. My own grandpa, who served in the Korean War, even got the chance to go last year.

I'll pass around some pictures of today's service while I prepare to tell you a story:

The story I want to share tonight isn't actually from today's service, though. It's actually from last year's Memorial Day service. My grandpa was the main speaker, and I was supposed to sing the song "This is My Son" along to the music from the CD "Don't Believe" by the bluegrass band Cherryholmes.

Everything started off great. I sat next to my grandpa on the platform, and I listened to him do a great job giving the speech he had been practicing over and over. At the end of his speech my sister was supposed to read a poem by one of my grandpa's friends who had recently passed away, but I ended up reading it instead. His testimony seemed to really bless the people in the audience, and they gave him a standing ovation. It was a powerful moment.

And then the man overseeing the ceremony turned to the man who was going to play the bagpipes and asked him to begin. But wait... What about my song?? I tried to make eye contact with the man in charge, but it didn't work. I had been forgotten, and the ceremony concluded without me singing a note.

As everyone mingled after the ceremony, I was eager to leave. Yes, I was proud of my grandpa, and nothing was going to change that. But I was also hurt and embarrassed, and I didn't want anyone to see my shame. My name and the name of the song I was going to sing had been written in the program, but still I had been overlooked. (As a side note, the man in charge apologized and was very kind about the whole thing!)

The whole way home I sulked in the car, huddled into myself and my own hurt. But when we got to the house, I spent some time outside thinking and talking with God - and God showed me that the way things turned out had more important things to teach me about humility than if things had turned out the way I had planned.

You see, my poor attitude was because I was embarrassed. I had been overlooked and forgotten, in my opinion. I felt short-changed. But that Memorial Day service wasn't about me. Sure, I think the words of that beautiful song by Cherryholmes could have blessed the audience. But they had already been blessed by my grandpa's story and his service to our country. And I shouldn't have let my embarrassment keep me from wholeheartedly sharing in the honoring of my grandpa and others who had served in the U.S. military.

In a twist of wonderful irony, the last line of the poem by my grandpa's friend that I read went like this:

"This once proud ship will sail no more."

When that realization hit me - how those words tied into what I needed to learn from the experience - I laughed. My "proud ship" really needed to stop sailing!

Oh, laughter really can be such good medicine! =) How can you stay angry and hurt when you can honestly laugh at your own folly and rejoice in the goodness of God?

As the author of Ecclesiastes noted, there is "a time to weep, and a time to laugh" (3:4a).

So now I'll open up the sharing time! Is there anyone else who has had to learn some lessons about humility the hard way? (Really, is there any other way than the hard way??)

"He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility."

~ Proverbs 15:32-33 ~

Campfire: Winner and Farewell

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable time at Camp Humility! I loved participating in this week's activities with all of you, as well as sitting around the campfire together, eating s'mores and discussing God's provision. It is a real blessing to know each one of you, and I'm glad Camp Humility gave us a chance to "get away" for a week!

Before we say our farewells, I'd like to announce the winner of the $15 Amazon.com gift card, according to the List Randomizer from Random.org:

Michelle (scraphappy71)!

Congratulations, Michelle! Be on the look-out for my e-mail!

To all of my campers, thank you for making this week so much fun and so memorable! As my official farewell, I put together a slide show/video like I did last year, except this one includes pictures from the Bald Hills area and Prarie Creek State Park in Northern California, many of which you'll recognize from earlier this week.

The song is called "Faraway Land" by Ron Block, and I think the word fits so well for this retreat we've been on, focused on humility before our Lord.




If it is the Lord's will, perhaps this will continue to be an annual event. In that case, I hope to see you next year at the Third Annual Camp Humility 2012!

Campfire: Fourth Evening

I'm passing around the marshmallows again so we can use them for s'mores or a topping to our mugs of hot chocolate. I even brought whipped cream and chocolate chips if anyone wants some!

Last night we talked about hunger, and tonight I'd like to add a little bit to that discussion.

Here's another quote from the pocket inspirational called Jesus, Name Above All Names by Roy Lessin, which I shared from during our first campfire this week, regarding Jesus as "The Bread of Life":

"All who are spiritually hungry have been called to partake of the life of Jesus by faith. Jesus is God's manna to us. Like manna--the daily food God provided to the Israelites while they wandered in the wilderness--coming down from heaven, so Jesus comes to us from the Father. We don't need to store Him away and save Him for another day. He is ours every morning and He will sustain us throughout the day."

That last part really caught my attention. I'm the kind of person that likes to save things for later. For example, I have books in my TBR stacks that have been there for a while (or will be there for a while) because I'm saving them, because I'd be so sad to get through my whole TBR stack and not have something to look forward to. As another example, at meals I usually like to save a bit or more of something I really enjoy (like a roll, as I'm a big bread fan!) for the end.

But it's not that way with Jesus. We don't have to "store Him away and save Him for another day." We can have beautiful, satisfying experiences in His Presence every day! And because we can have a relationship with our everlasting Lord, we should never think of Him as something to objectify--He is God, and His love and provision have no end!

So don't ever worry about running out of joy in God's Presence. We can trust that each morning He will be there, willing to bless His children with His care. God is so good!

Campfire: Third Evening

Anyone hungry?

Go ahead and grab some s'mores fixings and gather around the fire, because tonight we're going to discuss hunger.

Spiritual Hunger

If you'll join me in opening your Bible to Matthew 4:3-4, we'll read:

"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he [Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

At first glance, this verse seems to be saying that humans need more than physical food--that we are in need of spiritual food to fully live. And I believe that is true. First Peter 2:2-3 states,

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

It takes time to prepare a good meal, and it takes time to be spiritually fed by God's word and through prayer. When you pour out your heart to God, there is a very real comfort and satisfaction that nothing and no one else can bring, because God is our Provider, our Friend, and our Lord. He is in control, and He cares about us. Yet how often I neglect this truth!

God Provides

And this brings us to the reference given for the Scripture Jesus was quoting in Matthew--Deuteronomy 8:3. Let's take a look at this verse along with the preceding verse in chapter 8:

"And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

I think by seeing the context of the Scripture Jesus quoted, it seems that there is another element to Matthew 4:4, which is this: we are sustained by the very words of God, by His commands. God may give us food to live, but ultimately that shows it is His control that gives us our lives and the ability to live them. Sometimes, he suffers us to hunger. And sometimes he feeds us--something we take for granted.

Humility and Hunger

I do not claim to know what exactly Jesus meant when He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, but I think that perhaps He was alluding to the power of His Father. He was trusting His life in His Father's hands, because at that time, while He was fully God, He was also fully human. And He submitted to His Father's will, whether that meant being fed or not.

Consider some of the following verses in Deuteronomy 8:

"Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him....

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:

Lest when thou hast eaten and art full...then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;

And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."

(Verses 5-6, 10-12a, 14-18)

And there it is--a connection between hunger and humility.

When we are hungry (for love, for wealth, for success, for food, for hope, etc.), will we trust that God truly seeks "to do thee good at thy latter end"?

Will we believe that God chastens us because He loves us?

Will we realize that He tries us because He wants us to grow?

Will we remember and praise Him for what He has done when He provides for us?

Campfire: First Evening

The evening air is a bit nippy, so let's gather around the campfire. I've brought some s'mores fixings that we can pass around--plenty of marshmallows, graham crackers, and of course chocolate!

Speaking of chocolate, I also thought I'd bring a few cookies. (Nobody's counting calories, right? Besides, we'll be getting a good workout on the water tomorrow paddling in rafts and canoes!) I recently tried some Laceys, which are "crunchy almond wafers sandwiched with velvety dark chocolate." Oh. my. goodness! I never thought I'd fall in love with them, especially because I'm so picky, but they are fabulous!

And Michelle C., since it's your birthday today feel free to help yourself to as many cookies and s'mores as you want! ;) Anybody up for joining me in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday"?

Now, last year at Camp Humility our first evening included a devotional on the Light, since we were spending time around the light of a campfire. I'd like to discuss light again tonight.

It is said of Jesus in John 1:4-5 that "in him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

Last night I finished reading Pompeii: City on Fire by T.L. Higley (you can read my review on Amazon.com). What a powerful read! And you know why it was so moving? Because it depicted the reality of the darkness of evil and suffering in the world, but it also depicted the light of a life secure in the Messiah--a light that seems incomprehensible as it shines brightly in the face of death and pain. It was a heartbreaking and frightening read (especially because I'm afraid of volcanoes), but it was beautiful because faith was not extinguished even when the earth spewed forth molten rocks, lava flowed, and evil tried (but failed) to take control.

I'd like to share a quote from a pocket inspirational called Jesus, Name Above All Names by Roy Lessin regarding Jesus as "The True Light"--

"God still guides seeking hearts to the one true Light. As the world around us grows darker, the light of Jesus Christ shines even brighter. He is the Light of truth, of hope, of purity, and of beauty. That Light shines through the faces of those who know Him, through the eyes of those who see Him, through the character of those who walk with Him, and through the hearts of those who love Him."

As we watch the flames of this campfire, let us take a moment to remember that the Light we believe in will never fade, and the darkness of this world--the trials we go through, the pain we endure, the sorrow we face--will never be able to overcome that Light. In fact, we can see the Light more clearly when it shines in the darkness.

And isn't a wonderful comfort and honor to know that God can use His followers to share that Light with others?

Campfire: Winners and Our Story!

What a week this has been! Our official farewell will be tomorrow (we'll save our packing until then), but I just wanted to let you know that I've had a wonderful time with all of you! You're a lovely bunch of campers!

Grab some smore fixings and grab a seat while I share the winners of the two giveaways.

First, thank you to all of you who entered! I loved reading all of your comments!

Now, here are the winners:

Angie!

Casey!

Congratulations to the winners! Be looking for my e-mail. You have until Monday morning to reply so I can get those books off to you soon! (If I don't here from you by then, I'll pick another winner.)

I also told you I would share our completed story (from the night game around the campfire Wednesday night), so here it is for your reading enjoyment:

Separating from the group in order to take a picture of an adorable bunny was not Ruth's best idea. She had been thrilled to join a hiking club for the summer, but the thought of getting lost had never crossed her mind. With the sun already falling rapidly down the western half of the sky like an autumn leaf being detached from its high place, a shiver of nervous, not-quite-complete fear ran through her. Too bad she had such a horrible sense of direction. Back at home she couldn't even find the store she had worked at for months on her own--she needed to follow her neighbor (who happened to be one of her co-workers) to work every morning. But the only creature she could follow right now was the bunny, so when it hopped into some bushes she set off after it.

She hadn't planned on coming face-to-face with a giant blue horse! He had the most beautiful silver mane. He stood staring at her like he was expecting something. She reached out to touch him, and he turned, and walked to a nearby tree stump, which was rotten with age. He seemed to be asking her to get on his back, so she jumped onto the stump, praying it didn't crumble beneath her, grabbed onto his neck and jumped on.

Just then, he took off at a lighting speed. Ruth held on with all her might, thankful she knew how to ride a horse. As the horse galloped through the woods Ruth realized it was headed straight for a huge tree. Bracing herself for the impact Ruth clung to the horse and closed her eyes.

Ruth heard a whoosh and opened her eyes to see the horse gliding up along a rainbow! Ruth gasped as she realized the ground was falling beneath them. The rainbow sparkled and glittered, and the horse began to change rainbow colors with it.

She watched as the rainbow led them straight to the land of Oz! But after meeting the scarecrow, the tinman, and the cowardly lion, she decided that enough was enough. Ruth desperately tried to click her heels together, wishing she had a pair of ruby shoes.

"Ruth! Wake up!" Startled, Ruth sat straight up to find herself in a tent, surrounded by a few of the concerned girls from her hiking group. "That must have been some dream!"

As Ruth nodded, she thought she saw a rainbow-colored horse gallop past the tent. She simply smiled and said, "Where are we going today?"

Thank you to all my fellow contributors: Bluerose, Angie, and Ariel! It turned out to be quite an interesting story!

I'll close out the final campfire meeting of Camp Humility with 1 Peter 5:5-6, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

Campfire: Fourth Evening

How is everyone this evening? It's a bit breezy tonight, so I hope you all have something warm on! I think I have some more smore fixings, so go ahead and help yourself!

Well, our week together is coming to a close. We have one more full day of camp, and then we will say our "farewells" on Saturday. I hope you have had a great time at camp--I know I have! Thanks to all of your sweet, fun comments, I've made some great memories. Maybe we'll have to make Camp Humility an annual event . . .

Tonight I thought we could sing together. Here's the first verse of the hymn "We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer":

"We praise Thee, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before Thee, we kneel and adore Thee,
We bless Thy holy name, glad praises we sing."

(From Hymns for the Family of God, Paragon Associates, Inc., 1976.)

Psalm 40: 3 says, "And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord."

Our God is so good! Because of His grace through Jesus, we can go to Heaven to be with Him forever. Forever. How amazing, how marvelous, how glorious is our God! And He is more than deserving of our worship and songs of praise.

First Kings 8:22-23 says, "And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart."

There is no God like our wondrous God! Remember Psalm 43:3 from a few nights ago? "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." Now read the following verse (verse 4): "Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God."

He is our joy! He is our reason for living, and our hope for everlasting life. So let us praise Him, not just now, but every day. Our words can never be enough to show our true appreciation, but He looks at our hearts. Let us worship Him in love with all of our hearts, not just with our voices, but with our lives. Let us seek His will, for His purposes are what really count throughout eternity.

With that, here is the third verse of the hymn I shared above:

"With voices united our praises we offer,
And gladly our songs of true worship we raise.
Thy strong arm will guide us, our God is beside us,
To Thee, our great Redeemer, forever be praise."

Campfire: Night Game!

Gather around the campfire! We're on our third evening of Camp Humility, and I hope you've been having fun!

Tonight is our night game. As much fun as it would be to play flashlight tag or some crazy organized team game, I have something different in mind tonight. But I'm going to need a lot of participation from all of you!

For our game, I thought we could do a story continuation. I'm sure many of you have done something like this before, but I'll give you a quick explanation so everyone is on the same page:

I'm going to start us off by writing a beginning paragraph for a story. (We'll try to stick to the camping/nature theme if we can!) The next person to leave a comment takes up the story where I left off, writing the next paragraph. Then another person continues the story with a paragraph after that. And so on and so forth. Feel free to be as creative (and crazy!) as you want! The length of the paragraphs is not very important, but try not to go over 7 sentences or under 3 sentences (just as a guideline). Tomorrow when I do the "mail call," I'll share the complete story with everyone. Now, let's get writing!

The Beginning of the Story:
Separating from the group in order to take a picture of an adorable bunny was not Ruth's best idea. She had been thrilled to join a hiking club for the summer, but the thought of getting lost had never crossed her mind. With the sun already falling rapidly down the western half of the sky like an autumn leaf being detached from its high place, a shiver of nervous, not-quite-complete fear ran through her. Too bad she had such a horrible sense of direction. Back at home she couldn't even find the store she had worked at for months on her own--she needed to follow her neighbor (who happened to be one of her co-workers) to work every morning. But the only creature she could follow right now was the bunny, so when it hopped into some bushes she set off after it. She hadn't planned on coming face-to-face with . . .

Now it's your turn! Who'll start off the next part of the story for us?

Campfire: Second Evening

I hope everyone had fun rafting today! I know I sure did. Although I have to say, I'm glad to be around a campfire now so I can dry off after that thorough soaking this afternoon. Those rapids were pretty intense!

Anyway, help yourself to some hot chocolate. There should be some filled mugs over there on that stump. (And don't worry--I didn't forget the marshmallows!)

Now, first off I'd like to say that tomorrow should be a fun and busy evening, as I'm hoping to get all of you to participate in a game I have planned! But for tonight, I think some silence might be in order.

Ecclesiastes 3:7b says, "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak." (This comes a while after the first verse of the third chapter, which says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.") There are times when something needs to be said, whether that something includes words of comfort, words of encouragement, or words of gratitude. But there are also times when it is better not to say anything at all. This can be in reference to times of grief when someone just needs someone to hear them and let them cry, or it can refer to times when we need to listen to someone's voice other than our own. And how often we forget how much we need to take time to listen to the Someone who matters most--our Lord.

In all honesty, I suppose this is very hypocritical of me to be reminding all of you to do something that I myself neglect so often. But I still would like to share this message for us all. As I've been reminded of in devotionals before, Jesus set the example for us:

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone." (Matthew 14:23)

I mentioned during our rafting trip that I had been to a Christian camp called Veritas. At this camp we had time set aside to spend in God's word, in prayer, and/or journaling. This time was called "TAWG"--"Time Alone With God." I'd like to suggest that we have some TAWG right now.

Take some time for silence. Take some time to listen to God. He is so patient and so good to listen to our prayers; how much more may we be willing to listen to what the Lord has to say to us!

"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2)

Campfire: First Evening

It's a bit chilly, so feel free to scoot closer to the fire! And I think there might be some fixings for smores on the picnic table yonder, so help yourself!

I realize that it's a bit early for a campfire (at least here in California, anyway!), but I hope that's OK with all of you. (If any of you who are reading this are a bit confused about the camping theme, feel free to see my post from earlier today--that should clear everything up for you!)

Anyway, welcome to the first evening of Camp Humility!

It's great to sit around a campfire and feel its warmth. And when it gets dark, it's so nice to have the light from the flames offer comfort--drawing people like moths while also drawing out deep thoughts. I'm not sure whether I associate a campfire more with songs and stories, or with silent comraderie as each person is lost in reveries. I suppose there is a place for both.

Psalm 18:28 says, "For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness" (KJV).

Psalm 43:3 says, "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles" (KJV).

And Psalm 119:130 says, "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple" (KJV).

God offers us light--through His word, His guidance, and His very presence--and that light gives us fellowship with Him and also causes us to see a little more clearly His work in the world (and thus gives us reason to think more deeply). Jesus said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12b). Jesus offers Himself as a light. He Himself is the light which brings us both closeness with God and thoughtful silence in our inability to fully comprehend His great love and His great plan.

As we stare into the flames of the fire tonight, let yourself be warmed by God's love and awed into silence by that same love. Our God is an amazing God!

So good to have you join me this evening. Be sure to get plenty of sleep so that you're ready for our rafting adventure tomorrow!