Church Blog based on a sofa
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
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Well ThisAndy has just come back from running a youth camp for a week in south Devon. I’m shattered and exhausted in every possible way, have picked up a few minor injuries such as pulled muscles and I am thoroughly ready for a good sleep and another shower.
This was a camp that is not that like many others. First of all the leaders get actual beds…that’s right a proper bed frame and mattress. We also have hot showers which is rather nice and a fantastic team of leaders who do a great job and all make it seem like they can get themselves off of their sofa but sounded as though they would be glad to head back to it at the end of the week.
Anyway there were a couple of moments that I particularly wanted to put up here to share the first is the idea of a sacred place. One of the visitors to the camp this year had been praying for us and felt that the site we are based on is what Celtic Christians would refer to as a ‘thin place’. A place where heaven and earth are much closer together, a place where we meet with God and a place where people have met with God in the past, present and will again in the future. This made me think about the places that I meet God in. One in particular is the field we have the camp in, God’s presence feels very strong there, for me I often meet God in nature, a place that I feel comfortable in and a place where I am surrounded by everything God has made. Where is your sacred place? Where do you meet with God?
The second is about purpose, why do we end up doing the things we do. This year at camp was very sad as we said good bye to the managers of the team but also exciting as we welcomed the new ones. On the last morning of camp we were praying for the old manager, thanking God for what they had done, for the blessings he had given through them, the gifts he had given them and for their future. One of the campers shared a short testimony that if it hadn’t been for the work of these two managers she wouldn’t have met with God in the same way and wouldn’t have understood it if she had. This got me thinking about how often in serving God we don’t see the affects of what we do, which is quite biblical in a sowing and reaping sense. But this testimony was one of those moments which spurred on the managers and the whole team by saying to us ‘Yes, you’ve got it right, keep on going!!’. I want to share that with you too, if you’re serving God then keep on going as even though you might not see the effects of it, they are there!
