The Church Camping Trip

"But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."   1 John 1:7

I have had the distinct pleasure of spending this weekend with my church family. On Thursday afternoon Parker, Melody, and I headed up to Summerset for our churches annual camping trip.  When I started thinking about what I would write in this post, I did not know where to start: from late night jaunts, to giant slip-in-slides, to volleyball, to discussions on the soul and mind functions, to singing Jonny's songs, to carpetball, to singing the Battle Cry of Freedom, to discussing heaven, etc. etc. etc.  Well I still do not know where to start.  But ,mayhap the best place to start is by praising God saving us from our sins.  The above verse applies to many a conversation that we had while camping.  On Thursday night a group of us walked out on a little peninsula and looked across the lake.  As we gazed across the waters I asked the group two questions:

1. What are you looking forward to in heaven?

2. Name the "top" three people you want to meet.

It was probably my favorite part of the trip.  It was interesting to hear who people were excited to meet.  And then to discuss the glory that heaven will be. We will have new and glorified bodies, ones that are free from sin, ones that will not perish.  It was glorious to sit and commune with other believers on such a wonderful topic.

However, everything did not partake of such a spiritual bent.  Earlier that night no body could have stayed asleep as Jason Wiltse, Matt Weaver, Jeff Thomas, Ben Zellers, Parker Cornwell, Myself, and various others belted out the old civil war tune "The Battle Cry of Freedom."   This link is the best I could find, however, ours was much more raucous and in addition sound very manly.   

If you have a dull moment on the camping trip it is not because there is a scarcity of things to do.  The fault must lie with whosoever is bored.  As I wondered around the camp I kept thinking that "If fellow-shipping with other believers (whether it is about God, the weather, music, or books,) in this sinful and fallen world is this enjoyable, how much greater will be when we are in a perfect heaven worshiping a perfect God with perfect bodies?