Back from the wild wood...

A week at camp is a beautiful thing. Being a camp speaker is even better. I have two hours a day with responsibility, the rest of the time I get to hang out, play, relax, meditate,whatever it is that moves me most. This camp was a great time for me. It was the youth group that I used to lead, and there were a few that were under my leadership, but most of them were new. I have to say, it is an amazing group of kids. I'm of the mind that God is a gentleman, so most times when He shows up in a big way, it's because people are receptive to Him. Well, this is a very receptive group.

But it was a neat journey for me too. I was looking for God in a new way too. The idea that I've been coming to is that I need to learn to see God everywhere (that was the theme of the camp, strangely enough). So as I prepared, and as I escaped, I started to see God in lots of places. Too many to recount as a matter of fact. But I want to transcribe a section from my last journal entry at camp.

"Tomorrow I head back and dive into the world as I left it. My e-mail will overflow. There will undoubtedly be situations that have come up or will come up. I don't know what's on my horizon at work or at home. Even now as I write that I realize that I've never really admitted that to myself and let it sink in. That's a different perspective. It's out of my hands and out of my control. There's a bit of fear, a bit of trying to rationalize it away, but I can't and I don't want to. I can only play the hand that's dealt, and pretending it isn't coming or pretending it's other than it is doesn't change it. That forces me to God. God is everywhere. God is right now. I read a great line in my surprise me book, 'The surprise me thing is like taking a walk in a storm. It's a quest for potential. It's an intentional wondering. Wondering how the rain will impact us even as we're stepping into it. Wondering what we will find out there. Wondering who we'll find out there. It's stepping out of our comfort zone into the contact zone. It's stepping into the direct line-of-fire with life.' By playing it safe, I'll never get wet. But I'll never know the joy of dancing in the rain either. Father help me see life ahead of me."

The thoughts leading up to that were similar to a thought in The Story We Find Ourselves In that didn't crystallize before. Neo talks about seeing life from the perspective of The Future pushing The Past out of the way. Or something like that. I realize that I'm a bit of a reactor. Rather than dancing with what comes at me, I tend to be slightly backward focused, and then respond to things as they enter my peripheral vision. By that time it's already too late... the future is upon us. I like that. I'm not afraid of wondering what's coming ahead, but I want to wonder that as I step out into the storm.

"Life is like a box of chocolates." Forrest Gump