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Entertainment Topics
Hidden Benefits of Family Camping
Connecting to Gratitude While Camping
Somewhere in the back of our modern minds there is a question we'd like to ask, but we're afraid to know the answer: "Could we make it through the wilderness like our ancestors did?" If all our conveniences, such as water at the tap, inside toilets, electricity, and forced air, were suddenly stripped away from us, would we be strong enough to carry on?
Camping with children presents a grand opportunity to give them a small taste of the stamina required of the pioneers, like Lewis and Clark, as they passed through the rugged, unexplored territory of North America. Of course, with our soft, self-inflating air mattress under us, the high-tech, wind- and rain-proof tent over our heads, and our pre-packaged, freeze-dried meals, it's tough to fully understand those early pioneers' unbelievable courage.
Still, it's a chance to connect with the brave folks who managed with not much more than a sleeping roll and the flicker of a flame. I noticed that when Nathan and Heidi returned from "roughing it" in the wild to a warm bedroom and an adjustable shower, their level of gratitude for our way of life was always up. That connection is worth the trouble in many a dad's estimation.
Steve Chapman
Adapted from A Look at Life From God's Great Outdoors, copyright © 1999 by Steve Chapman. Used by permission of Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Ore. All rights reserved.
Steve Chapman and his wife, Annie, are award-winning musicians who have taken their message of Christ-centered family to fans all over North America. Steve proclaims his enthusiasm for the gospel, for family, and for hunting in A Look at Life From a Deer Stand (more than 100,000 copies sold), Reel Time with God, What a Hunter Brings Home and With God on a Deer Hunt. To read more about Steve and Annie's ministries, visit their Web site at www.steveandanniechapman.com.
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