Survivor
Yesterday one of the campers asked me if I'd been on the show Survivor. She said the rumor had been circulating since the first night of camp when I showed up for campfire with my rucksack on my back.
I assured her I had not.
I was actually a bit thrown by the question. It seemed completely random, presenting itself in the midst of our cancer discussion. In fact, at first I thought she was asking me if I was a cancer survivor.
But later I wondered if Survivor didn't have a place in our campfire discussions, with our overarching theme of "journeys".
So tonight I asked, "Who can give us a brief synopsis of Survivor?"
"You are all alone on an island, trying to see how long you can last," one boy was quick to reply.
"What do you take with you to the island?" I prodded.
"Nothing but the clothes on your back," another guy said.
"Kind of like the disciples," I said. "In the gospels, Jesus is recorded as telling the disciples to go out and minister to the people, 'taking nothing with you on your journey.' Why would Jesus tell them to take 'nothing'?"
"So they would trust God to provide for all their needs," one of the campers responded.
It was a quick devotional time tonight. Not only because of the lightning, but also because this camper summed up everything I had to say, everything my Bible commentary had to say, in a simple phrase.
Just like on Survivor, when we strip ourselves of all our comforts, from material possessions to the ones we love, we get to the source of our peace, strength, confidence, and trust -- God alone.
EMBRACE SURVIVOR.
In the book of Mark, Jesus is actually recorded to have said 'take nothing except a staff.' I asked the campers what good a walking stick would be on a long journey. They came up with more than a dozen purposes for a simple stick, from fishing to knocking fruit off high tree branches to warding off snakes. I'm definitely taking these kids (and a stick) to Survivor island with me if I ever get the chance!
I assured her I had not.
I was actually a bit thrown by the question. It seemed completely random, presenting itself in the midst of our cancer discussion. In fact, at first I thought she was asking me if I was a cancer survivor.
But later I wondered if Survivor didn't have a place in our campfire discussions, with our overarching theme of "journeys".
So tonight I asked, "Who can give us a brief synopsis of Survivor?"
"You are all alone on an island, trying to see how long you can last," one boy was quick to reply.
"What do you take with you to the island?" I prodded.
"Nothing but the clothes on your back," another guy said.
"Kind of like the disciples," I said. "In the gospels, Jesus is recorded as telling the disciples to go out and minister to the people, 'taking nothing with you on your journey.' Why would Jesus tell them to take 'nothing'?"
"So they would trust God to provide for all their needs," one of the campers responded.
It was a quick devotional time tonight. Not only because of the lightning, but also because this camper summed up everything I had to say, everything my Bible commentary had to say, in a simple phrase.
Just like on Survivor, when we strip ourselves of all our comforts, from material possessions to the ones we love, we get to the source of our peace, strength, confidence, and trust -- God alone.
EMBRACE SURVIVOR.
In the book of Mark, Jesus is actually recorded to have said 'take nothing except a staff.' I asked the campers what good a walking stick would be on a long journey. They came up with more than a dozen purposes for a simple stick, from fishing to knocking fruit off high tree branches to warding off snakes. I'm definitely taking these kids (and a stick) to Survivor island with me if I ever get the chance!
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