Blessed!

At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. (Genesis 28:11 NLT)

Three weeks from tomorrow the "Great Adventure" begins. Stephanie and I are taking 4 of our grandchildren out west. We have been blessed with a new travel trailer and will be camping across the west for two weeks. We will travel through South Dakota to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills, then to North Dakota to watch our oldest grandson perform at the Medora Musical, then on through Montana to Yellowstone. On the way home we will travel through the Grand Tetons, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and home. I am excited to see the months of planning get close.

Camping is an amazing pastime. It's a blessing from God. Stephanie and I have been camping on summer vacation for many years. We have slept on the ground with nothing more than a rock for a pillow. We graduated to a small pop-up camper and now we have a 34 foot camper ready to travel west with our grandkids. Spending time seeing God's wonders, spending time around a campfire, cooking over an open fire, hiking the mountains, and just relaxing, is a real blessing from God.

Thank You Lord for blessing me with a great family. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to travel this great country with some of the loves of my life. I begin praying right now to bless this trip with evidence of your greatness. May we all realize this creation is a gift from you. May our trip be filled with joy, peace, and laughter with you in the center. Praise God for your wonderful love, grace, and mercy. Amen!

I'm just camping!

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV)

This is my summer home! I know it may not seem like much, but I long for the warmth of summer and camping. This year Stephanie and I are heading to the northeast for 18 days. Niagara Falls, Montreal, Quebec City, Nova Scotia, Maine, Acadia NPK, and New York are all on the itinerary. All we'll have is a camper, Vic, and the pleasure of time together. It's a real part of Heaven. This home is temporary, just like my real home in Garrett. 

My life on this Earth is only temporary. My beautiful home will not last. It's a tent compared to the mansion waiting for me in paradise. I enjoy "camping" here in this life, but it's as fleeting as my summer vacations. God promises us a great mansion when we join him in Heaven. We will spend eternity with him and living in the most plush surroundings. It will be a site to behold. I can't wait. 

Thank you Lord for this glorious life and the promise of streets paved with gold and mansions for all the faithful. I will spend the rest of my time here on this "celestial camping trip", recruiting others to fill your many rooms! I praise you Lord and ask for the opportunity to share your wonderful plan with the lost. Guide my footsteps, my words, and my deeds. Help me to make sure they are for your purposes and not my own! Amen!

Heaven's KOA!

Psalm 61 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁴ I long to dwell in your tent forever
   and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.^[b] 5 For you, God, have heard my vows;
   you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

In the old testament, much of the nation of Israel lived out of tents. We have come a long way from living as desert wanderers, living out of tents, to the grand homes we live in today. But, if you remember even God lived in a tent! When God came to visit Moses and the Israelites, he went camping!

As the weather heads toward "camping weather", my excitement grows to go camping. I'm not really sure why I love camping so much. Camping is really a lot of work. Cooking over an open fire, dealing with unpredictable weather, and all sorts of critters, can be quite an adventure. A weekend camping trip in the rain can be miserable. But, I still love camping. I like to think more of the smells of clean air, the quite of the night, the sounds of the birds in the morning, and the slowness of the pace. Sleeping in a tent draws you closer to nature. You don't have the thick walls, the insulation and the isolation from what God has created. 

God might have thought the same thing. Maybe that's why he chose a tent when he visited the old testament believers. He wanted to be closer to his creation.  Just like he wants to be closer to us. He doesn't want anything to separate us from him. He doesn't want the walls and he hates the isolation. He even sent his son to destroy the sin that keeps us away from him. Now he has gone to prepare a place for us. He has prepared a mansion with many rooms. I'm sure some people would disagree, but when i get to heaven, I hope I get to sleep every night in a tent. I hope Heaven is a big KOA and I get to sit around a roaring campfire listening to Jesus. I long to dwell in God's tent forever. I long to slow down, to relax in his arms, and to worship him. What a glorious camping trip that will be! You better get your reservations in now!