Bittersweet Farm Journal (Number 87) Without Hope
Sunday at Bethel I preached on Gospel Ventures. After church I packed my bag and headed north for a gospel venture of my own.
This week I’m speaking at The Springs Camp to Sr. High campers. It’s peaceful up north and I’m getting some writing and reading done. The Springs is located right about where ‘Up-North” in Michigan starts. Two young ladies from Bethel Church, Lexi and Trinity Good, are campers this week. Dan Kohns, the Director is an old friend who grew up in a church I used to pastor. It’s good to catch up and share in the fellowship of the gospel. He knows the story of almost every camper here.
Last night I walked out after dark to discover that a yellow moon just past full had climbed into the night sky just over the tops of the pines and birches that grew along the banks of the Sugar River. The river itself is dry for a while while they figure out if the old dams will hold or give way. The Sugar runs into the Tittabawassee which becomes Wixom Lake which drained when the Edenville Dam failed in May. Here folk have been walking the dry river bottom and finding some interesting things like fishing lures and gear–even a wedding band.
I’ve been walking in the cool of the morning just after sunrise and indulging in the luxury of a nap most afternoons. I have a nice, private air-conditioned room in the lodge for the week, so “camp” isn’t exactly primitive and I like it that way.
It is always enriching to meet young people who love God and want to serve him. This morning in chapel I took questions and it was good to spend time pouring truth into eager, young hearts. Last night one of the campers, a young man, trusted in Christ for salvation. Every year I meet campers who lost one of their parents during the year. My heart breaks for them. I can’t imagine the sorrow of that.
At lunch a young lady, who is helping in the kitchen, shared her testimony. She does not have believing parents or any Christian support in her family but a neighbor got her to camp where she came to know the Lord. She has returned every year as a camper and a worker. She sits in on chapels every night and eagerly takes notes.
I go back to the quietness of my room and pray, “God, rescue young people unto yourself out of this sad, broken, sin-cursed world. Help them flourish even in a time when so much is twisted and toxic, I pray. Use me. Use our family to be a help to others. We need you so desperately. Help us help others who need you, too. Send us to those whose hearts you are opening to the gospel. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
The Pierpont family always appreciates prayers for our family and we need them especially right now. We are passing through a very hard thing. If you stop and lift us up to the Lord, we thank you. Please tell me how I can pray for you. God helping me, I will be faithful to do so. We have Him so we have hope–a strong confidence in ultimate good. Without Him, life would be hopeless.
The Springs
July 8, 2020
