Lessons from a Fall Retreat

I spent the weekend with about 30 High School students and 8 adult leaders on our annual pilgrimage to the woods for our Fall Retreat. It was an awesome weekend with a lot of adventure, plenty of sore muscles, and a wonderful Spirit of worship. Here are some observations from a weekend with teenagers in the woods.

Nothing smells worse than a cabin in the woods after two days of boys who have been running around, not bathing much, wearing wet and dirty clothes and then have slept all night with that concoction of odors stewing in a cauldron of mustiness. That is stank I don’t wish on anyone.

God has ways of reminding us that he is in control. Sometimes they are subtle and sometimes they are not so subtle. Part of our experience this weekend was spending time on a high ropes course. I have enjoyed going on high ropes courses for a number of years and so without much hesitation I harnessed up and prepared to ascend the element my group was working on. This element wasn’t particularly hard; it involved scaling a tree via pegs and then walking across a wire with the aide of two crossing ropes. It required some balance, but mainly just patience and steady progress. The element became much more interesting, however, when while in the middle of the wire the wind picked up and began to sway the trees holding the wires significantly. It felt as if at the very point I was most vulnerable, God reminded me that he was there and in charge. I may have had a harness, a helmet, and some ropes, but he still was holding all the cards. That thought hit my mind as I crossed the wire and made me smile. Then on my descent from the wire, God reminded me again of the earlier thought. I was slowly descending as the person in charged lowered me, when all of the sudden, for about the last 15 feet or so, there seemed to be a rapid increase of speed. My instructor dropped me. She dropped me from about 12-15 feet up and then just stared in disbelief at me on the ground. I don’t know what happened, but she just messed up. Needless to say that falling from that height onto my substantial rear end was not was I was expecting. Amazingly I left the experience with nothing more than a funny video of me bouncing off the ground. I think I must have landed on God instead of the ground because I didn’t even have a bruise from the impact. Oh well, thanks for the reminder again God. Next time send a card, I promise to read it!

Nothing bonds people together like a common task or goal. This seems especially true for teenagers if that goal is sneaking through the woods to avoid capture by their adult leaders. Every year we play Mission Impossible on our retreat. We have a destination in the woods the all kids have to make it to. Guarding that destination is a number of adults roaming through the woods with flashlights. As we have played this year after year the anticipation and preparation has grown and grown. This year the kids went all out with extensive face painting and walkie talkies. I was proud. They still didn’t win. But there was a beautiful unity and solidarity as they went about their task.

Some types of face paint are really hard to get off of your face. Especially if you have bushy eye brows like some of my guys. Having really dark eye brows is a great look. Maybe they can start a new fashion trend.

There is power in worshipping outside. It is amazing how a change in setting and atmosphere can really change the feel of worship. There is something especially powerful about talking to God and listening for God sitting around a fire, surrounded by trees and listening to nature. We get too civilized sometimes with our worship and we forget that the most beautiful sanctuary for worship is the one outside the church doors.

Our entire spiritual life comes down to our ability to take a step of faith. All of us have doubts. All of us have reasons to choose a life outside of the will of God. All of us can give into the temptation to follow our own path. But, if we want that abundant life Christ promises, it must begin with stepping over our doubts, turning away from our own path and walking into the light. All of us who encounter Christ come to that same place. Regardless of our sin, our past, or our upbringing, we have that opportunity to take that step of faith. I pray that many of those students who were standing there and deciding about that step, found the God given courage to take it this weekend.