I want to go back and visit Epworth Forest camp in North Webster, Indiana. It’s the camp where I made my weekend, and where I have served a number of teams. The memories are countless, the images still very moving, the experience the most incredible in my life. I hope you can also remember your original weekend, and the sight, sounds, and smells of the Spirit of our Lord.
A favorite memory is the chapel where we held worship, and the times I’ve kneeled at the Altar rail. The great food in the dining room surrounded by a warm fire and the fellowship of many. The view of the lake and having Sunday morning worship lake side all great memories. I remember commandeering the golf cart and chasing the geese only to get in “trouble” by the Rector…
On the Friday morning of my weekend I asked one of the Pastor’s to come and pray with me. The two of us, in the chapel, birds chirping, the smell of wine and candle wax from the just-held worship service, and prayer. Tears, pain, struggle all left at the feet of Jesus. A part of our Fourth day our Service Sheets invite us to have an Altar visit from time to time. Some evening after a meeting or service go back into your sanctuary and go the altar area. Just pause. Just quiet your mind. Listen to God.
The Altar visit always alters our way of thinking and it happens every time we partake in Holy Communion and/or prayer. As you reflect back on your weekend with me there is something hard we must do. We have to let that wonderful, inspiring memory go. We have to thank God for all the experiences, for all the prayers, for all the memories, and then go and make new ones.
Plan to come in July to our National Gathering in northern Ohio and make new memories. Come and participate in “new” worship, prayer, and visiting the altar. Come, the table is being prepared and all our invited and welcomed!
May our God of the Day of Pentecost (this Sunday) move us to make new memories, new friends, and to serve in new ways in our local and national Via de Cristo. I’ll leave the golf cart alone if you’ll come with me to the altar…..
GLYASDI,
Pr. Doug Givan
NLS Spiritual Director
Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.
