My church holds an annual family
retreat each Labor Day Weekend at Camp Deerpark; a weekend that offers
spiritual, emotional and physical renewal to everyone in our church.
Most everyone in our church attends
this weekend get-away, enjoying an escape from the busyness of life back in 
We are served amazing meals which are prepared for us each day. Everyone from the tiniest baby to the senior citizen enjoys this time together as one big family.
Our
Pastor and his wife get a chance to relax a bit more than usual, being we are
also blessed to have a guest speaker teaching throughout the weekend.
Our worship team assures us of an awesome time
of worship in the chapel, where we can celebrate and praise the amazing God we
serve.
As
I was away during this retreat – of course with camera at hand – I took tons of
pictures. I tried to get a sampling of
all that went on during the weekend including the many special, fun times we
had with each other during this escape.
One
of my favorite blessings during these retreats has always been having so much
more time with each of those attending; living together, eating together,
worshipping together, and having tons of fun together.
We
usually have some organized games and activities, as well as spur of the moment
games that may occur, giving many a chance to play.
When
I returned home and was taking a look at my pictures, I saw I had captured many
special moments of many walking and talking, sitting and chatting, laughing,
sharing, praying, and opening their hearts with one another.
Opportunities
for in-depth conversations are endless, being we are all here, with no place to
run off to. Sharing what’s in our hearts
with close friends as well as those we don’t usually get much time with, opens
the door for new, deeper relationships; continuing to grow, once we return
home.
I
realized that was what makes this weekend the most amazing time ever. It was a reminder of the God we believe in, and
how personal he is with each of us, and how amazing his spirit calls us to love
one another as he loves us.
The
God we follow is a God of relationships.
He doesn’t sit high on a throne, pointing his finger, condemning, and
getting frustrated with us. Rather, he
is a God who reached down to the world, with a heart of forgiveness and
redemption, yearning for a personal relationship with each person he
touches. He calls us, he loves us, and he
saves us with the Saving Grace of his only Son, Jesus Christ. He opened the veil of separation between sinful
mankind and His Holiness, allowing us to approach him with confidence in a
personal relationship with the Most High God.
How
amazing is this? That through His Son,
Jesus Christ, we can truly be adopted sons and daughters and receive his
inheritance of eternal life baffles me.
That we can come to him, face-to-face, and he hears us and responds with
his guidance and love. That he’s given
us His Holy Spirit, as a comforter and counselor.
I
was reminded that our God has placed me in his family; to share our joys,
cares, and burdens, share the passion of the Lord, encourage one another in our
faith, support each other in prayer, reminding each other that God loves us at
all times. This family I was placed in
is to help me serve the Lord for the purposes of His Kingdom. The Lord has abundantly blessed me.
“A new command I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
- John 13:34-35
