there and back again

I went to the woods this weekend.  Since their days at PSU, several of my friends have been taking a weekend away, spending time out of cell-reception and internet access, around a campfire near a stream.  They have invited me for several years, but I’ve always been too busy with church commitments, family commitments, etc.  One of the things that appears with regularity in my journal is how much I need/enjoy getting out into the wilderness.  But it’s never easy to get there; there always seems to be too many other things going on.

I have to admit, I was reluctant to go.  Kim encouraged me to take the time away, which shows how wise she is.  She knew that it would be good for me and Levi to be together, and that I’d benefit from the time with other men.  Levi went up early, and I left State College after work on Friday.  After a little wrestling with the GPS, I arrived at the cabin, about 30 minutes later than expected.  The guys had already sent out a search party and called Kim (from the pay phone at the only place in the “town”) to see if I was on the road!

As I settled in to the rhythm of the campfire and chowed down on a sausage fresh off the fire, I began to unwind.  I got caught up on what’s been going on in the lives of some of the men who have been important and influential in my life.  Most of them are 10 years younger than me, and served with us in youth ministry at Calvary.  A few of them were strangers, at least until the ice was broken and we got to know each other.

I met one young man who happens to be the brother-in-law of one of my staffmates at Calvary.  Another is married to the daughter of some great friends from my past.  Small world…

One of the things we all have in common is a love for Jesus, to see God at work in the world around us, and to live in such a way that we leave a mark on our world for Jesus.  We’re all approaching life from different vocations, but the Good News of Jesus rises up in the way we live, the way we are raising our families, and the way we love other people.

One of the guys has created a farm, which he and his family run, designed to use agriculture and its fruit to build individuals and groups in deeper relationship with themselves, one another, God, and God’s creation.  Another is on staff with the International House of Prayer, with a focus on ending human trafficking.  Two guys are involved in a church plant, and 2 others will probably be planting a church in the next few years.

I got to share our adoption story (several times!) and talked about things that are happening in State College since they’ve left.  We talked about the city-church movement, Calvary’s growth into a multi-site church, our renewed focus on Penn State and the next generation of leaders, and the changes that I’ve experienced over the past few years.

We ate lots of meat and eggs, stayed up way into the night talking about life, and took a hike in search of the mythical beaver ponds.  They’ve apparently been looking for these beaver ponds for 12 years, with no success!  We washed in a bone-numbing stream, played a goofy game involving a golfball and a 6′ tree limb on the top of the mountain, and spent time enjoying each other’s company.

Did we come away with a plan to change the world?  I’m not sure.  But I do know that I came away changed.  I was refreshed, encouraged, and challenged to live a more Jesus-focused life.  It was not easy to make the time to get away, but it was worth going to the woods.  I needed that, and want to plan weekends like that into my life on a regular basis.  Anybody got a cabin?

When is the last time you took some time away, hung out with some friends who challenge you to be a better you?