The evening session didn't start until 7, so I had plenty of time to myself while people trickled in and got situated. Ended up finding a bench swing between some of the lodges, and there I went through my memory verses and read 1 Peter in its entirety. A fitting, relaxing way to begin. The theme of weekend was "Jesus is Enough", a set of sermons Andy (the youth pastor, and young adult small group leader, and my friend) put together based on his study of the books The Naked Gospel and God Without Religion by Andrew Farley.
The first session addressed the misconceptions about forgiveness common in the church: once we're saved, we're completely forgiven - Jesus is enough for our forgiveness. He thoroughly explained 1 John 1:9 (addressed to non-believers), Matthew 6:15 and the Lord's Prayer ("forgive us our sins as we forgive..." which were given before the new covenant - before Jesus died). Yes, of course we forgive, but because of what Christ did for us (Col. 3:13, Eph. 4:32). He is enough for our forgiveness for all time.
The theme of the entire weekend can be summed up in something like this: Let's not rely on anything from the old covenant; we have a new and better one. Believers have absolute freedom by simply trusting the Spirit of the Lord at work in us. We don't need rules. If we sin, we will feel miserable because that's not what we're made for anymore. So we learn to trust that Spirit (Heb. 5:14), which leads us to make the decisions that will make us more like Christ, and there's nothing that can take us away from Him.
The third session, after dinner, was about How We Live... debunking the idea that we have to follow the Ten Commandments (or any rule) in order to follow Christ. But according to a lot of scripture we went over, you either keep the whole law or trust only in Christ, never a combination. Farley said in his second book (which I started today) that following the law after becoming a Christian is "spiritual adultery" (we're married with Christ - Rom. 7:4, if justified by the law, we're fallen from grace - Gal. 5:4). That is pretty strong language, but I think I'm beginning to wrap my head around it.
The final session this morning after breakfast focused on The Grace Life. God pours out his love into those who trust him; we come to know that love, and when we do, we are filled with his Spirit. And a very important, basic truth that I never paid attention to before: the Golden Rule is under the old covenant! John 13:34 gives us the new: "As I have loved you, so you must love one another." It is so simple, but subtle too... everything we do as Christians is based on Christ. Otherwise it is faulty. Christ is the standard; Christ is who we rely on. That is the gospel.
~
As for the rest of camp, I loved that too! :) I had a room/bathroom/queen bed to myself. Very comfortable, and I slept like a baby, getting up around 7:30 both mornings for breakfast at 8. Wow, the food was good! Everyone in camp (several church groups) gathered together at the same time in the dining hall for meals. Saturday breakfast was scrambled eggs, seasoned potatoes, sausage & bacon. I had oatmeal too... with brown sugar, raisins & milk. I managed to finish the last episode of The Civil War between meals and sessions that morning. Lunch was build-your-own sandwiches with lots of good meats and veggies. Decided on iced tea for a cold drink... and that was good because the weather was blistering warm during the day. There were no clouds for miles around; I don't remember the sky being that blue in ages.
The weather affected my breathing ability during paintball. I played with a bunch of the guys right after lunch. There is a little washed-out gully on the far side of the camp, with lots of barrels, bushes and wooden structures strewn about in it for cover. There were two teams of four... the first game was great! I found a secure spot behind three barrels and spent all my ammo keeping a couple guys pinned down. I got some more ammo from Chuckie outside the fighting area (he mostly just got shot). Upon returning, I figured I'd try and be more daring... bad choice. Got hit in the mask again, hit the deck, and then got smacked on the top of my head (where there is no protection). Boy, did that smart. I can still feel a little lump even now, and I had lots of people feel it at camp... lol... but thankfully, it never hurt beyond that first couple minutes. The second game we switched entry points, and again when I decided to be brave and advance to a new position I got nailed in the mask. Went up top and then came back down again with Mike Anderson (from my team). But again I got smacked in my wrist by Scott. Made a couple little scratches along with a little bump. On my way out, I got hit in the back of the right arm by crossfire... and that left a little bruise. Overall, a new experience, and it was fun. I was the only girl playing. One of the guys running it is trying to join the Navy at the moment, and asked me about the ASVAB. I was wearing an old painted pair of NWU pants.
Right after that, I stopped by to see if Kristin was up for hiking, but she wanted to nap for a while. So I changed and went to the pool for a quick swim (that was about 2:30). It felt so good to be weightless! Haven't swum in such a long time... so nice! Jenny was there watching kids, and she told me to try the water-slide and offered to take pictures of me doing so... with great results.
I heard people talking at the pool about doing the zip-line next. I thought to myself that I'd like to try it too... so after cleaning up and changing into normal clothes I came back and asked if I could get in line as well... and the lady in charge let me... with no extra fee! It was like climbing up a telephone pole (with a harness and cord attached, of course) and then swinging down a cable about the length of a football field. So much fun!!!
It wasn't much longer before dinner (chicken & rice, salad) and our third session. After that had finished, we gathered up on the hill at the fire pit for some s'more roasting. I helped Ned get the chocolate and crackers ready, and helped people when they brought us their burnt marshmallows.
This morning's breakfast was great! Tiny, 4-inch, delicious, thick pancakes... with lots of strawberries on top! I had four! lol! And an egg casserole, another little cup of oatmeal, and then afterwords, some decaff coffee, just how my Darling likes it! :) Got the opportunity to drive a Prius for a moment... somebody needed a complicated favor. It took me a minute to understand what he needed at first, but I was glad to help. I had packed up and checked out of my room before breakfast, so I didn't have anything else to do before the last session. Except after I did it, I was able to call Mom and tell her "Happy Mother's Day". I explored the grounds after the session was over, then read the first part of God Without Religion in my cooled car as I waited the hour until lunch. Lunch was fantastic! Homemade lasagna with mushrooms in it! And delicious bread-sticks, salad and iced tea. It was our final bit of fellowship. Said goodbye, got in the car and took off on a scenic route home.
Instead of going right back to the freeway, I drove 25 miles north to Julian, where I got out, had a piece of their famous apple pie with ice creme at the very same restaurant we stopped by for a bathroom break on the MWR trip last Easter. Was so glad I could finally buy something there! :)
Continued down CA-78 to Ramona, CA, where I stopped to check the map on my phone to make sure I took the right road. Across the street was a local produce vendor, so I stopped for a couple fresh avocados and a bundle of asparagus. CA-78 turned into CA-67 at that corner, and it took me into El Cajon and onto I-8 and back home. But not before introducing me to grand views of the nearby mountains. So glad I took this route over the dull interstate.
What a weekend!
Jw
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