Home from an Interesting Vacation!

We returned on Saturday from a week at Horn Creek Camp in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of Colorado where we got some much-needed rest, family time, and the opportunity to meet some wonderful folks from around the country who also bear the name of Christ.

One of the more interesting couples turned out to be a pastor (Brad) and his wife from Arizona. This pastor was charged with the responsibility of adding a spiritual dimension to our vacation experience -- which he did quite nicely. And of course I couldn't resist telling him a little about this ministry during the course of the week -- which made for some very lively conversations.

Initially I was discouraged by his reaction to our purpose here at In Our Midst. He was not opposed to what we are doing, but neither was he optimistic that it would make any difference. Unfortunately I allowed his "supportive opposition" to frustrate me, and in the end I missed an opportunity to encourage him. You see, his job is to minister to the college/singles under 25 at his church, a group of young people that by definition is one of the most challenging to lead, instruct, and positively impact due to their age, emotional maturity, and the capricious stage of their development.

During one of our conversations Brad said something to the effect that it doesn't matter what you tell them at this age; they do what they want and they don't believe any of the consequences you tell them about will ever happen to them. I found this troubling, especially coming from a pastor who taught such incredibly dynamic lessons during the week. He told me (in regard to his efforts with this group of young people) that he feels like he is trying to "hold back the ocean." This being the larger reality of the situation which unfortunately didn't occur to me until the end of the week.... Brad is apparently suffering from some pretty significant burnout.

I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to encourage him while we were at camp together, although you can be sure I will follow-up with him via email. One thing we have to remember in this difficult and cutting-edge type of ministry is that the opposition we encounter will take many different forms and come from many different directions -- even from our own. The other thing to remember, and perhaps it is the more important of the two, is that opposition is not always what it appears to be; sometimes there is a deeper issue at work that is less obvious, and to miss it might be missing the opportunity to encourage a fellow traveler on this long and difficult road.

I learned a lot from this experience which just goes to show that even though we take vacations, God never does! :) He is always working in and through the events of our lives for our benefit and for His glory.