I just got back from the Boundary Waters with 8 friends from
Chicago and Minneapolis (including 3 guys from my men’s group). We canoed out
of South Hegman Lake near Ely, MN and camped for 3 nights. The first day we
went cliff jumping over some ancient petraglyphs stained into the rocks. The
second day we dove for fresh-water clams and cooked them for dinner. We swam
several times a day, laid in hammocks, and traversed miles of portages. We had temps
in the 60’s and 70’s, warm water, and hardly a drop of rain. We laughed a lot together
but also had some sweet times of silence, reveling in nature by day under partly
cloudy skies and at night by a blindingly bright moon and crackling campfire.
As a former BWCA trip leader, I was designated the trip’s
organizer. I don’t mind leading this stuff, since I’m proud of my northern
Minnesota roots. I love playing tour guide with my friends and exposing people
to the pristine beauty of the Northwoods. There’s a certain rhythm to a
boundary waters trip. From the big daily rhythms (wake up, break camp, paddle,
portage, paddle, set up camp, go to bed) to the meditative rhythm of a paddle
gliding through still water, I think those rhythms, far more than straight
hiking, make a canoe trip soothing and restorative for busy people.
It would have been enough just to enjoy the beauty of God’s
creation. But it happened that our participants were all gifted leaders in
their own right. I wanted to find some way to encourage them in their
leadership. So we spent some time talking about Ezekiel 36 and God’s call to
shepherd the flock with integrity. I challenged each person to invest their
time in discipling younger believers believing that God has given them all the
needed qualifications to lead well and make an impact. In turn, they encouraged
my leadership abilities and affirmed my ministry calling. A highlight for me was
a full 20 minutes of focused prayer for me at the end of our trip full of
prophetic words and loving encouragement. That token of love and validation continued
to chip away at the deep belief that I don’t deserve that sort of care or attention.
I was honestly taken aback.
I think for most people there, it was a mountaintop experience…
a special moment of connectedness with God, self, and others. I’ve been contemplating
what it would look like to intentionally facilitate those kinds of experiences as
a part of my disciple-building efforts through weekend retreats and the like. I’m
learning that effective discipleship is a good combination of mountaintop highs
and daily decision-making. I want to be able to walk through both kinds of experiences
with people I’m ministering to because neither one seems to work without the other.
And if nothing else… I just like camping.
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