This onw was written before serving in Philly in 2013. 

It is--it's that time of the year again.

Camp time.

In just over 24 hours, I will begin the journey towards Philadelphia, PA, to encounter our staff, our campus contacts, the men and women who labor in the city year-round, a few thousand students, and the adults who sacrifice to bring them there.

This is my sixth summer working camp.

I love it for so many reasons.

God is so good to show up three-hundred and sixty-five days of the year in my life.

Sometimes I see it, others I know, I miss those moments, too.

But the thing is, He is so faithful.

He is ever teaching, ever loving, always pointing, turning, speaking and repeating Himself in my life.

Through the last nine years, He has brought me to a small understanding of what it means to live a missional lifestyle. That this thing that He has put me here for is fundamentally not for me, but for Him and through Him, for others.

And that is when I will have the best life possible.

It seems straightforwards and backwards all at the same time, right?

Well, I'm ok with it. That's our God (not a God of confusion, but always a God of faith). I trust Him to work it out.

But through the past nine summers, He had graciously given me the chance to teach others what He has taught me. He created me to teach. It is just what I do-- in life, in conversations, at work, everywhere.

Teaching about Him?

That's the best.

So, I'm lacing up my shoes, readying myself for two straight months of it.

Teaching staff how to do camp. Teaching students how to do ministry. Teaching adults in Bible Study. Teaching our leadership staff how to encourage all by encouraging them and spurring them on.

And the thing about teaching is that a teacher knows best that the learning is never done.

(this is where God smiles at me, chuckles even, I think)

While doing all that teaching myself, God will be teaching me.

Old lessons that need repeating.

He keeps His promises. He guarantees immeasurably more than I ever imagined. His word? It doesn't return void. He finishes what He starts, stands in our place, died and rose again and gives us that same power. He loves us all so much that He stands in our place.

And new lessons.

What new lessons?

Your guess is as good as mine.

But I'm looking forward to them.

I have prayed prayers of safety for this summer, that He would go before us like He did for Moses and we wouldn't go without Him (like Moses, too). That he would set-up conversations, open ears and hearts to Him. Give us energy, insight, and means to do His work. Loving words, miracles, salvations, new creations.

Camp can happen without Christ.

Just like life.

Those other three-hundred and five days of the year.

But I pray that it doesn't.

Just like life, camp is better when it is saturated with Him.

Maybe He'll show us all that this summer.

(again.)

And maybe He'll teach us, all in our way, that we can take these lessons we learn and plug them in to those other days.

Maybe.

And maybe He'll make it happen.

He will.

And then maybe I can tell people about it, about what He did, what He taught me. And maybe it will bring glory to His name.

Maybe He makes it all worth it.

He does.

I'm excited about all the teaching I am going to get to do this summer. The lessons we will learn that will be passed on to others. All for His glory--to make Him more famous.

And I am excited to be taught.