In my world, this is “camp week” just in case you’re wondering why I haven’t been blogging the past several days. I went to day camp with my soon-to-be Kindergartner on Saturday, along with a good friend and his daughter. We had some good daddy-daughter time. It was also good to catch up on what is happening in my friend’s world. I think my daughter found out that daddy wasn’t that great at doing crafts, but we had fun in the pool and with the other activities. Then, on Sunday, I went back to camp with seven 3rd and 4th Graders, along with two other sponsors who did an outstanding job. We arrived back home today. My oldest daughter was part of this camp. I’ll have to say, it feels good to still be considered “cool” even though she’ll be 10 in a few months. Though it was really nice that she saved me a place at every meal, the best part was that out of all the new people she met at camp and all the friends she had in our group, she still wanted to sit with me at campfire time. I feel so blessed, and I cherish those moments! I’m sure we’ll go through that time where she thinks that I’m an old fashioned geek who just doesn’t understand, but things are good for now. To see her growing up in the Lord brings great joy to my heart. I was so proud of our group of kids, too. They were respectful and obedient, which is less than I can say for many kids who were there. I get to go back to camp on Thursday, this time with my middle daughter and four other kids. I’m looking forward to it. It is a unique and wonderful experience to go to camp with each of my daughters and spend time with them without any of our other kids there.
Anyway, about the title, “Frequency.” That is the theme of the camp this year. The key verse is Colossians 3:1-2: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Basically, we were reminded to tune out all the “static” in our lives and get in tune with God’s frequency. In our society, there is so much noise, that we have forgotten how to stop and listen to the still, soft voice of God. He will speak to us through His Word, through our situations, and through others if we will just stop and listen. God is powerful and His “frequency” can be reached from anywhere in the world, as long as we don’t allow the “world” to get in the way of the signals. We have so many things that can get in the way of our relationship with God. With all of the electronic advances, we can be reached 24/7 from just about anywhere if we allow it. There are so many electronics that can eat our time away – television, email, internet, cell phones, gaming systems, etc… Don’t get me wrong, these things can be good, but they can also devastate our relationships, especially our relationship with God. I’m not big into electronics, and can really do without most of them. In fact, I’m still holding out on getting a personal cell phone. My wife has one, and that’s close enough for me. 
To me, it was sad to see the number of adults at camp, with this type of a theme, who still couldn’t seem to go an hour without checking messages or checking email by way of their Strawberries (or was that a Blueberry…no, maybe a Blackberry) or laptops. It really took away from there time with the kids and from being able to have time with God. There was one guy this morning who was looking at his phone, I’m assuming checking email, while sweeping the floors. I guess some would call this multi-tasking. Two guys were checking their emails during one of the lessons yesterday. What kind of a message does that send to the kids. We tell the kids they can’t bring their electronics…maybe the adults should have the same rules. There was always someone walking around with a phone stuck to their ear. I’m afraid we have forgotten how to slow down and let God take care of things. People have existed thousands of years without the stuff that we say we ”can’t live without.” On top of that, there are numerous activities and entertainment options that can get in the way. Our culture is so busy running from one thing to another. How many of these things will matter for eternity? Not as many as we would hope, I’m sure. I’m not trying to get on a soap box or be “holier than thou” because I have plenty of my own things that get in the way of listening to God. My point is – we need to slow down, be quiet and listen to God. If we will just stop and listen to His plan, His will, and His ways, we will live a much more fulfilling, abudant and less chaotic, cluttered life. I know from experience, it’s easier said than done, but I believe God will bless us when we obey.
Well, I’m off to the softball field to pitch for our 9 and under coach pitch team. I’m sure I’ll sleep well tonight. Tomorrow, if I have time, I would like to tell you about a conversation I had with the camp manager – it was a God thing.
May you tune in to God’s frequency today and tune out all of the static of the world around!!
