The curious joys...

....of camping.

My husband says I don't camp, I RV. He likes to point out that the nature of camping is to "get away from it all" and "leave behind the comforts of home." In exchange for what? The discomforts of nature? The sheer terror of squatting in the dark in places unknown? The unpleasant love pecks of a swarm of hungry mosquitoes?

In an effort to comply with his brand of camping, we registered for a tent for our wedding....and got it, much to the glee and gid of my father. :o) We tested out this camping gear this past weekend. In the middle of the night we "set up camp" out behind the barn on my dad's land in Coral. We laid down a tarp, pitched the tent (well, Dan pitched it; I was inside the barn putting away our food and pantry items and inflating the air mattress), and commenced camping. Or so I thought.

In the morning (over cornmeal pancakes cooked on the electric oven) when I declared that camping wasn't so bad and I could probably get used it, he further insulted me by announcing that we weren't camping, we were tenting. Tenting!? What's tenting? I thought the clincher in the camping dialog was giving up the comforts of home and getting away from it all? I gave up the cushy dinette bed, my mom's excellent cooking (we bake cookies, have roast and such, and occasionally make sh'mores when we go camping as a family), the AC, the in-trailer bathroom complete with walk-in shower, the TV (well, almost---it was Saturday night and Dan left me to deliver a stray puppy to some family friends who were adopting it---"Missing" was on!), the hard-sided shelter over my head, the infinite storage, and on it goes to sleep in a TENT. What gives?

Apparently, camping is neither RV-ing or Tenting. It is a miserable existence in the wilderness, void of any creaturely comforts 'cept the creatures themselves, simply living off the land and roughing it. Well, if that's camping, then you can keep it! :o)

Whatever form your camping takes on, I hope you do it with gusto and enjoy the beautiful earth God has given us. And I know from experience that you can do that pretty much anywhere.... perched atop the trailer dinette, peeking out from beneath the tent flaps, or yes, even out in the middle of nowhere with nothing over your head except the stars.

Happy trails!

Knowing You....

I love the verses to Graham Kendrick's song, "Knowing You." I can't say I'm a huge fan of the chorus, because somehow addressing the God of the universe, the Savior of the world, with a line like, "You're the best" seems a bit hokey to me. Not that He isn't, because He is, but because the phrase itself is terribly inadequate to capture just Who He is.

The verses though, they bring tears to my eyes----they remind me of what God through Christ has done for me and they strike at the very heart of a selfish and complacent life. How could I, knowing what He has done, live my life anything short of complete and utter selflessness and sacrifice for His sake?? "To possess by faith what I could not earn, all surpassing gift of righteousness; Oh to know the power of Your risen life, and to know You in Your sufferings. To become like You in Your death, my Lord, so with You to live and never die."

To possess by faith what I could not earn! And this, it comes only through knowing Christ...

* * * * *

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now compared to this

Now my heart’s desire is to know You more
To be found in You and known as Yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh to know the power of Your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like You in Your death, my Lord
So with You to live and never die

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing
You’re my all, You’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love You Lord