Mini-Me

After so many things compressed into a single week, I longed for a travel vacation. What I was dreaming of was another extended trip to see something new but, I settled on a much shorter one. I had a men’s retreat scheduled and I decided that it would have to do. This past weekend I went on a two day men’s retreat in Ramey, Pennsylvania at the Servant’s Heart Camp, located north of Altoona, Pennsylvania on 213 acres of woodland with a large lake.

It was a gathering for Christian men to escape the noise and bustle of the world and enjoy a time of renewal and refreshment. It was a time to escape the telephone, computer, television and enjoy times of Christian fellowship. The messages of our speaker were specifically addressed for men and the problems and needs of men. There were times of prayer, times for sharing, devotions, and time for reading our Bibles without distraction.

I can hear a lot of people saying, “It sounds boring” and you would be wrong. My heart still is stirred from the prayer requests for some men’s loved ones and the testimonies from some of their past makes me thankful that God has spared me and my loved ones from the enslavement of drugs and alcohol. In some in families there were testimonies of abuse and abandonment. Some shared the recent loss of loved ones and were able to lean on others for support. Now, I suppose you are thinking this was a time of either boredom or a time of doom and gloom, not so, Christ is the hope and mitigating factor that renewed our strength and resolve.

We weren’t couch potatoes either. There were activities of all sorts. A gun range provided a chance to shoot trap, targets for archery, or to fire guns on the target range. We could shoot the Blam-zooka which is an air cannon that shot tennis balls at targets. Even though there was occasional episodes of rain, games of ping pong and other games nestled in a large tent. Two men actually braved the cool weather to take a swim in the lake. Horse shoe pitch, campfires, a deer spotting ride and great food served al fresco in another large tent rounded out the weekend. The food was abundant and delicious.

It was a great time that allowed me to relax, make new friends, and to renew a right relationship with Jesus Christ. The old saying, “Wish you were there?” well my friends, I wish you could have enjoyed the mini-vacation with me.