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Entertainment Topics
Hidden Benefits of Family Camping
Church While Camping
When your usual day of worship arrives and finds you crawling out of a tent instead of crawling into a pew, church can still happen. And of course, what a wonderful cathedral the sky becomes under the Creator's mighty canopy, a view not obstructed by walls! A song, a scripture and commentary, some prayer time for loved ones who are probably worried sick about you, and even communion if you plan ahead, would be a wonderful way to start the day.
With simplicity being one of the abiding themes of the camping experience, a worship service while sitting on a log around a breakfast fire can be very uplifting spiritually. It is a great setting to remind a child of the "simplicity…of devotion to Christ" that we should desire as found in 2 Corinthians 11:3. And with the campsite as a backdrop, you could use the following camping analogy to teach your kids about the only One who is able to bind all believers together. This story comes from the heart of our friend, Bob Hughey.
A long time ago, Christ Jesus began a journey through the earth. With Him were all of His followers. They walked with Him from sunrise to sunset that first day, and then it came time to rest. Jesus built a campfire and His followers pitched their tents. Prior to retiring for the night, Jesus taught His people. That evening He instructed them about the importance of baptism and the joy of following Him in that act of obedience. Jesus and many of His followers went on to bed. However, some of them stayed up, sitting around the campfire and discussing the Master's teaching on baptism until late in the night. Finally, they too went to sleep.
Jesus arose the next morning and continued on with those who had rested with Him. However, those who bad stayed up late, also slept late and when they woke up to find the others had moved on, they decided to stay where Jesus bad taught so eloquently on baptism.
The next night, something similar happened after Jesus taught the others about the importance of the communion of the saints. He shared bread and wine with His people, they partook, then retired with their Lord. However, some stayed up and discussed the beauty of the communion experience. The next morning, those late-night folks, not fully rested when Jesus traveled on with the others, stayed behind at that site.
Night after night, Jesus delivered His life-changing truths around glowing campfires. And night after night portions of His followers talked far into the morning and missed their Master's departure.
This took place until one day, Jesus turned around and there was no one behind Him. He looked back through time and saw all those who had once been so close were now fragmented, huddled tightly around the various campfires of truth. His heart broke.
Today, in His great compassion and love for His followers, He is walking back through those camps where shrines have mistakenly been erected to worship only a single part of His glorious truth. And with open arms He is bidding them, "Follow Me. Come and follow Me!"
Though only an analogy, this story has a powerful ring and describes the times so well. Using the environment of a campsite, I have shared it with Heidi and Nathan. I believe it has helped them understand that when it comes to following Christ, camping can be dangerous if we don't pick up and move on when He leads.
—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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