Yesterday, I headed off with a student for an overnight camping trip to Coal Lake. He needed some time away to refocus and refresh his perspective on life. And as it turned out I did too. We hiked in 3 miles to the Coal lake and set up camp. Our theme for the trip was Mark 1:17 when Jesus called out to some fishermen and told them to “Follow Me.” So we discussed what it meant to follow Christ.

Kierkegaard said that, “The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains, no matter where you are. The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admires, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires.”

We discussed how Jesus doesn’t want admirers. He wants followers. We really got into sobering discussions about how in both of our lives we follow in some areas and others areas we don’t. The scriptures say, “Come follow me, he said to Simon and Andrew. At once they left their nets and followed Him.” What will we decide? To drop all we have and follow Him? That’s what we’ve been called to do.

We ended our discussion with a poem by Steven James:

the path is narrow,

my heart is hard,

guide my feet.

break me, God,

for I will not bend.

and I’m not shaped as I should be

anymore.

Both of us left our trip challenged and convicted of the places where we’re not fully committed to Christ. Jesus doesn’t want part of us. He wants all of us. The cost is great. We’ll endure hardships, heartbreak and trials. No one ever said life was easy. No one ever said following Christ would was for pansies either. It simply comes down to a choice. Will I be known as an admirer or a follower?

Oh and here’s a shot of my new pair of Chacos I was breaking in on the trip. They’re the most amazing shoe/sandal known to man. I’ll give you the complete review later.

[Continued from 1.3]

After the sleepless night we really needed something good to go our ways. It was a fresh day and we were miles down the trail. To keep moving past the mosquito haven, we ate breakfast on the trail. It was a quiet hike. Most were either sleepy, tired or itchy. But before we knew it (after about 2 hours of hiking) we dropped down into Merritt Lake. It was sweet relief. The shoes came off and we all waded around in the lake.

Half of us found shady spots and took naps, the rest vegged with their feet in the lake. Soon we were (those of us who were sleeping) awoken by the sound of visitors. Our guide had called for back up. Some of our adventure staff guides (YD Adventures) hiked in a different trail to bring us needed supplies. The calvary had arrived bearing tents and more. The tents were so we’d have relief when we slept. They also came bearing ice cream. I’ve never experienced eating ice cream in the backcountry, but it is truly amazing. We all broke out our spoons passed around the cartons of strawberry and mint. It was straight up majesty.

We slept well that night. [to be continued...]

[continued from 1.2] So we made it past the first hurdle. Then we hiked on to our destination point. We were all relieved that we were done for the day. To pack light, we weren’t using any tents. We were just camping under tarps. Camp was set up and then dinner was prepped. We all ate at a pretty sweet view point watching the sun go down. Everything was perfect.

Then we got back to camp. The sun went down and the mosquitoes came out. And these weren’t normal skeeters, you could saddle these bad boys. So quickly, everyone got ready for bed, put on bug nets and then got in the sleeping bags. We were safe or so we thought.

I soon learned that mosquito nets only work if they’re a few inches in front of your face. When you lay down, the net lays next to your face and they bite you through it. We also learned that the sound of them swarming around your ears can keep you up all night. To make matters worse, it was a hot night. So we had either two options. Roast in your sleeping bag and get bit lets or venture out of the bag and get bit more. We all opted for a combination of the two. It was a sleepless night.

In the morning, I realized that I had been feasted up and one of my eyes was about swollen shut. Another boy had (and he counted) over 200 bites from his wrists down on both hands. So needless to say, once the sun came up we were packed and running down the trail. And yes, I mean literally running down the trail trying to shake off mosquitoes… [to be continued]

As most trips involving middle school students, it’s like pulling teeth to confirm the are going. A day before we left, I had 2 students flake out. 2 hours before the trip, I had another one bite the dust. To run the trip our minimum is 5 and the max is 10. We ended up with the solid minimum. But I fully believe that God had His hand in the dynamics of the group. It would have been so different if the others had come. Needless to say, God’s way is always best. So the group as it stands: 1 boy from single parent home, 1 private school girl, 1 Russian, 1 sheltered homeschooler, and 1 boy with lesbian mommies. Quite the eclectic group. So it begins a trip that will span 6 days, cover 15 miles of hiking, 7 miles of river, and 3 billion mosquitoes…[to be continued]

I’ll be gone this week till Saturday night - so if you comment and I don’t comment back, I’m not ignoring you - I’m just not here!

I’ll be backpacking over Nason Ridge in the Cascade Mountains with 6 middle school kids. It should be an amazing time!

I’ll have stories and pics when I get back.

Keep us in your prayers!