I’m at YXL youth leadership camp in Glorieta, New Mexico with Kelli and four of our young men (Schyler, Austin Nichols, Andrew Huffman, and Redeemer’s Jake Koenig). YXL is the updated version of the PYA leadership camp that I was involved in back in the 1990’s. We have about 85 PCA kids from all over the country, along with PCA elders, youth leaders, and parents for a total of about 110 folks, living, learning, playing, worshiping, praying, and thinking about being a leader in their ‘world.’ It is a wonderful week. For my own kids it has been life-changing (who am I kidding, for ME it has been life-changing).

I know life isn’t a camp. We have real-world responsibilities and they don’t take place on a mountain-top. But maybe 1) we all need to have an occasional ‘camp’ experience, and 2) we can take more of camp with us than we think.

Every spiritual father since Jesus himself has modeled the need for personal retreat and the opportunity to be quiet with God. A change of pace. God uses these special circumstances to help us see Him, and ourselves, in a new way. Where are you getting that need met? A Piper conference? A L’Abri conference? The women’s retreat? A quiet get-a-way? An hour on the front porch? A bike ride with only your thoughts and prayers? Where? Jesus needed it. You need it.

Camp works (partly) because there is a schedule and pattern for the week. Maybe I need to re-think my weekly routine and reshape it in a way that takes the best part of camp with me all the time. I can do without the water-balloons and camp food, but most of what is here (Glorieta) needs to be with me there (home).

Yours from the Mountain-Top,

Pastor Stu