We were told ahead of time, that our guest speakers would be leaving on Tuesday, and we wouldn't have anymore sessions after they left.
So I'm thinking:
" Praise. the. Lord! I'm tired of being drained in every aspect possible! Now we can have some fun, and relax! "
Nope.
So, Tuesday rolls around, and we have our last few sessions, and break for lunch. We were told to meet back in the pavilion where we usually met, so we did.
The next thing I know, the guys were told to walk over to a pile of logs, select one, and take it down to the campsite.
(Now those of you, who really know me, can probably picture this clearly.)
I walk over to the pile of logs, notice that some guys are taking 2, 3, even 4 logs each, and grabbed the smallest twig of a log I could find. (I'm no fool.)
Eventually, we start hiking through the lovely green hills of Georgia, and through the spiky pinecones, stones, and sticker bushes, I remember that I'm barefoot.
We come to some really cool sanctuary type scenery in the woods. There are pews made of planks, and a big cross up in the front. And, we start having man-talk. We started talking about our roles over the next year, and what it meant to be a man of God. Our lesson and conversation was great, and it was awesome to see the tenderness of the Lord's hand, soften these men's hearts.
Then, the adventure began. We began walking again, and eventually we come to a lake.
This is what I see:
And, I this is what I hear:
"YOU HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO GET IN THE WATER!"
"DO NOT GET YOUR LOG WET!"
Now, I have my skinnies rolled up to my knees, and there is no way on Earth that they were coming off in under thirty seconds, so I take off my shirt, and jump on in.
So, once I'm in, I quickly notice that I'm way behind, because half of my squad mates are almost to the other side. SO I START BOOKIN' IT. And, 30 seconds later, I feel like my muscles(or lack of) are about to explode, and my lungs feel like they are made of Laffy Taffy.
And oh yeah, remember that whole " DO NOT GET YOUR LOG WET. " business? Well, during the "bookin' it" phase, I lost my glasses underwater, freaked out, threw my log underwater, and snatched my glasses mid…..water? Log. Shmog.
I quickly realized that I'm extremely out of shape.
I couldn't do it anymore. I was ready to give up. I was ready to just drown. (What a better way to die, then to do so at training camp for a missions trip.)
But then these lyrics popped in my head:
" I may be weak, but Your Spirit's strong in me.
My flesh may fail, but my God You never will. "
I had no breath, so I couldn't sing, so I kept saying those words over and over in my head. Over and over, and over. And then, God completely showed up. I instantly went from miserable and lifeless, to filled with energy and strength. And I knew immediately that this strength was not my own. I completely blew past the last chunk of the lake and just sat there in the water, in awe of God.
Talk about getting wrecked. Having the very strength of the Lord come upon you at a time when you're literally unable, and helpless, is a complete mind-blowing experience. I can't even describe in words, the goodness He poured, and continues to pour out.
(This may or may not be the ACTUAL location of this story, use your discernment and decide for yourselves.)
After we all reached the shore, our group gathered together and talked about what happened. Why it was easier for some, but more difficult for others, and what we should've done differently. We began to discuss the necessity of teamwork, and how much we each were valued, needed, and relied on each other. During the next year of our lives, there is no room for macho ego's, and do-it-yourself attitudes. God has crafted us together, specifically, to be able to communicate, rely, and encourage each other, and we need to utilize that blessing.
After we took that lesson, we used it, and the swim back across the lake, was radically different.
We swam together, as a unit. Encouraging each other, strengthening each other, and lifting each other up, and we all made it. Together.
Seeing the Almighty's mark on these men, is an incredible thing to see, and to enjoy. The enemy often attacks me with thoughts that say that, faith as a man is challenging and un-manly. But after seeing the grace of the Lord fully develop the hearts of these men, and seeing how gentle and tender my brothers are, I say otherwise.
So, shout out to my Tsquad brothers!
Hamilton, Guille, Andrew, Dave, David G, Ben, David W, Jeffrey, and Christian.
