Sprouts and Summer Camp

One of my hobbies is gardening.  I like to see things grow -- at least, the plants I'm trying to grow -- and watching another part of God's creation develop.  Besides, I get to grow some of my own food, fresh from the garden, and it's a lot less expensive hobby than sailing or sky-diving! 

Jesus used a lot of agricultural analogies in his teaching, as did the apostles, and there are hundreds of references in the Hebrew Scriptures to things that grow.  One of those is found in Psalm 128:3 and reminds me of the work we get to do with young people: "Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table."  Young plants, especially trees, are a source of hope for the future.  When we tend them, giving them fertilizer and water and sunlight as they need, they tend to grow strong and live up to their potential.  When we neglect those plants or withhold their needs, they don't do well, sometimes even dying.  Children are the same in all those respects.  They need nurture of several different kinds. 

Our regional "Spiritual Enrichment Program" camp, SEP Rockies (just outside of Denver), is an example of an intense nurturing environment.  For seven days in a row, the staff pour out what the Holy Spirit has filled them with, giving positive attention to the young people in every conceivable way.  We teach them about the loving God who is Father, Son and Spirit, with our words as well as our actions.  It's tremendously hard work, with a lot of sacrifice, and we come home exhilirated and exhausted.  But the way we see the campers grow while they are at SEP, and the way we see their potential blossom and come out, is worth it all.

Will you pray for us this week?  This kind of work does not happen just because we show up and take our positions, but because we seek and respond to God's power and inspiration.  Please pray that we can hear the Holy Spirit's voice of direction, and have the courage to do what we should in the wisest possible way, for the sake of those "young olive plants."  Thanks!