Devotion 7.22.26
Deuteronomy 7
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations..."
Moses reminds God's people that they are a chosen race, and they are reminded of God's faithfulness.
Today is the day. The Men of Hope, represented by Roger, his son Luke, myself, and DCE Bill go to camp. The camp, run by the next generation of leaders for our church, young men and women, goes into a wilderness in a near-by canyon and tells the story of Christ. The Men of Hope go to give them their one meal, a hamburger cooked on Roger's griddle, that reminds them of what they are missing, real food. Having served as a counselor at camp, you learn to appreciate some simple things: privacy, food, sleep.
The deprivation does a soul good (you tell yourself at the start). After a few days, you get the "1000-yard stare," so named in war after sleep deprivation, haunting sounds at night that keep your adrenaline running 24/7, and things that go bump in the night that may not have your best interest in mind.
It is worth it, though, because through camp (and other such activities we provide our youth), we tell them of the story of what Christ has done for them. We instill in the young children the ability to witness to others of Christ, and we give them scriptural knowledge to share the story of the good news. We remind them of the joys and responsibilities to others of the gift of faith in Christ Jesus. (On a funny note, we do the same thing for men in things called "retreats" in which we are deprived nothing and do it at very comfortable times of year in great settings.)
Pray for the younger generation as they learn leadership to guide the church for years to come after we leave. Pray for the pastors who are there, giving of their time, and the counselors, with whom these children are entrusted. Pray for all generations here now, and those yet to come, that they remember all the good things God has done for them, giving of his steadfast love and remember his covenant which was fulfilled in the form of Jesus Christ, his Son, our Lord.
Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.