Glowing Faces

As soon as the bell rang at 2:50 to dismiss my last class on Friday, I bolted out of the door and raced to the dorm, where my bags were already packed and waiting by the door. "Let's go camping!" I yelled as I bounced through our suite.

There is hardly anything in the whole world that I love more than camping. I love that my cell phone does not have service. I love the smell of campfire that sticks to my sweatshirt for weeks afterwards. I love the stillness of time and the glory of nature. Most of all, I love the uninterrupted time it allows me to spend with the friends and family that are so important to me. Camping is bonding.

This trip was certainly no exception. All of us college kids needed a weekend retreat to get away from the homework, the schedules, and the craziness of life. We met my family at Buffalo Point campground on the Buffalo River to enjoy a weekend of freedom and renewal. And of course, I added about fifty items to my list of "1,000 things I love."

I love watching the sunset from the bluff overlooking the buffalo river.

I love stargazing on my back in an open field, surrounded by friends.

I love swimming in freezing cold rivers.

I love watching glowing faces around a campfire.

I love sleeping in my hammock.

I love waking up with the sun.

I love spontaneous outbursts of singing and unexpected listeners.

On our day hike, we came across a large open cave that was more like a cubby-hole in the side of the mountain. Once inside, we played with our voices, creating echos across the cool gray rock walls. "Let's sing!" someone announced, recognizing the great acoustics in the natural sound room. Spontaneously, we gathered in a circle and started the four-part harmony of "Magnificant". As soon as the last note faded away, we clapped and turned around to find a couple behind us clapping as well. They had been listening around the corner the whole time. Our natural response to such marvelous creation was to sing praise, not knowing who might be listening.

But that wasn't the only time we burst into praise and worship. The whole weekend was full of spontaneous praise and spiritual conversation. I experienced an inter-twining of faith with friendship and fun. The spiritual mingled in with everything we did so that you could not even separate the two.

Our faith is not meant to be a part of our lives. It is not even right at the center of our lives. It is the very essence of us, the thing that mingles in with every other part of our lives until it becomes who we are. I think I caught a glimpse of that in my friends and family as we experienced the fellowship of Christ with one another. And it was all so natural. There was no, "Okay, it is time for our devotional now..." or "Let's talk about Jesus at 9:00 tonight..." It just flowed naturally. We were just walking along the trail or sitting around the campfire, having fun and talking about Christ all at the same time.

C.S. Lewis said, "Is there any pleasure so great as a circle of Christian friends by a fire?" I watched the embers glow as the fire died down, and I praised God for His beauty. I saw His beauty in the amazing display of His creation, but I think I saw it even more brilliantly in my Christian friends and family as their faces glowed in the sparks of the dancing campfire.