Besides getting to fish all weekend, which I consider relaxing to my physical state, I also got to refresh and renew my spirit and soul. After a long week of difficulties we headed into one of the least populated areas of lower Michigan, and also Amish country:
Tom Harmon was our speaker (better, preacher) for the weekend, and he dug deep into the Word. We had four different chapel times throughout the weekend and he expanded upon the previous during each message. I wish I could impart the knowledge I learned, but instead I just recommend going to the Camp Barakel web site and downloading the messages which are provided for free. www.campbarakel.org hosts many of the messages in mp3 format – readily available for download.
Tom spoke on being born again, and used John chapter 3 as the beginning reference for most of his messages. In this passage Nicodemus asks the question – “How do you become born again?” Tom went on to discuss the trichotomy of the human flesh, soul, and spirit and how the soul and spirit are at war after becoming born again.
The sermons that Tom Harmon brought to us were amazing and helped me renew, refresh, and recommit. There were two other activities that I enjoyed as well. First, was a night-hike where we hiked through the woods with no flashlights, and the second was a morning worship walk.
The night-hike was amazing. We were led through the woods, and stopped periodically to reflect on God in discussion, song, prayer, and poetry. The most amazing thing was the sky. We saw several meteorites which was fun, but I have never seen so many stars in the sky ever before. Not only that, but Cal pointed out that you could also see the Milky Way. I have never seen the sky in such a way before, and it helped me see God’s creation at its best. It made me realize how insignificant my life is amongst the grand scheme of things, but yet Christ still died for me.
The next morning, I went on a worship walk which is similar to the night hike, but takes place in the morning as the sun is beginning to rise. Again I saw the beauty of God reflected through nature in the trees, the water, and the wildlife. There were 5-feet tall stacks of mist swirling about the lake when I first came near. As we walked silently along the lake side path we reflected on scripture about how God blesses us abundantly. At one point, there were geese flying across the lake, and forming their V-shaped flight patterns. Our guide for the walk, Lee Brown, stated that it was almost like music as they maneuvered into their final formation.
An amazing (and much needed) weekend has come to an end.
