Jul
20
Written by:
Dennis Atwood
7/20/2010 10:38 AM
Last week, I went to PASSPORT Kids Camp at Wingate University to spend four days with nine children from FBC. Two of the nine were my sons and our group needed a male chaperone. So as parent and pastor I couldn’t escape the obvious. It had been a long while since I had spent a week at a church camp. “Back in the day,” (when I was much closer to their age) I led many a youth and college students to weekend retreats at the beach and in the mountains as well as far off places like Tennessee, New Mexico, and Canada. So I’ll admit I was a little rusty. But it didn’t take long to start enjoying the experience of being a kid at camp.
The theme for the week was “Barefoot.” The PASSPORT staff was great and the week was well planned and balanced. The kids spent time talking about getting back to the simple things like running barefoot, trusting an adult to lead them safely through a crowded mall, learning to follow and serve Jesus, and even how to provide water wells in Ethiopia.
The world today seems like a scary place. As tar balls wash up on the Gulf 
shores and we hear about dangerous people on the daily news, there seems to be much for a child to worry about—not to mention adults. And yet in the midst of all that worry, Jesus tells us to consider the lilies that don¹t toil or spin, but are beautiful just as they are, and cared for by God.
Last week, we took away the iPod, the DS and the TV, and our children began to breathe in God¹s spirit in new ways. They learned they could trust God, follow Jesus, share what they have, and serve God in simple ways. And I was reminded of these things too. I’m glad I went with the kids to camp last week. Now if I can just re-adjust to the “adult world” of responsibilities this week. Maybe it will help if I take off my shoes while I’m in the office…
Copyright ©2010 Dennis Atwood